THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2008
IDOT Says Road Improvements To Begin By April
As most drivers know, this usually harsh winter has taken a severe toll on roads and highways.
Local municipalities are not responsible to repair state roads and many lay crumbling.
State Sen. Susan Garrett (D-29th Glenview, Des Plaines) announced Wednesday that help from the state is on the way for state roads.
Cook County roads may not see as much work because of a lack of money.
The State of Illinois will award $11 million in contracts for road resurfacing next month for 2008 road projects.
Illinois Dept. of Transportation spokesman Mike Claffey told the Journal that work will be underway in April on the IDOT system of roads on an "expedited basis."
Cook County Commissioner and Elmwood Park Mayor Peter Silvestri said the county has no special resources to put into maintenance of county roads.
He said the county Highway Department would be accelerating normal maintenance.
Silvestri said he will be communicating with mayors in his district to identify problem areas that need roadwork.
Garrett said the work is aimed at resurfacing smaller patches of road than what may be included in the larger IDOT Highway Improvement Program (IDOTHIP).
Though IDOT officials would not say where the projects will take place, a number of resurfacing and improvement projects were identified in the 2008 IDOTHIP for the Northwest suburbs.
"The Department (IDOT) recognizes that pavement conditions have been rapidly deteriorating along state routes this winter," said Dianne O'Keefe, IDOT District One engineer, as quoted in Garrett's Wednesday, Mar. 12 press release. "We remain committed to balancing our safety and condition priorities within the limits of our available resources to ensure a safe highway system for the motorists."
Local municipalities generally do not maintain state and county roads (except in the case of Rosemont and a few others).
The maintenance of those routes is the responsibility of IDOT and the Cook County Highway Dept.
State officials are currently working to determine which roads need the most help.
Claffey said engineers are currently out on the roads determining which roads need work.
He said a final list of which roads would be fixed and when is still being compiled.
Claffey said IDOT would consult local officials as they prioritize the list.
In Garrett's release, she asked residents to call her office to identify the worst roads.
IDOT records may give a hint of which roads have already been identified as needing work.
Before this winter struck, IDOT compiled a two-tiered list of road projects.
The first list identifies IDOT projects for 2008 and the second list identifies projects for 2009 through 2013.
Before Wednesday's announcement by Garrett, Claffey told the Journal 2008 and 2009 through 2013 projects were awaiting passage of a capital-spending bill long stalled in Springfield.
Garrett said the $11 million would come from a special emergency contingency fund already in place.
2008 IDOT Highway Improvement Plan Road Projects
* Palatine: Northwest Highway/Hicks Road from Plum Grove Road to Hicks Road, First Bank Drive to Rand Road on the north, road resurfacing
* Palatine and Rolling Meadows: Hicks Road, Northwest Highway to Euclid Avenue, road resurfacing 1.72 miles
* Rolling Meadows: Algonquin Road, 0.7 miles east of Route 53, bridge beam and deck replacement
* Arlington Heights: Arthur Avenue at Northwest Highway, intersection improvements
* Elk Grove Village: Arlington Heights Road at Devon Avenue, intersection improvements
* Hoffman Estates: Poplar Creek, 0.1 mile west of Ill. Route 59/Sutton Road, road resurfacing, bridge beam replacement and new bridge deck. Over I-90 at EJ&E Railroad, misc. improvements
* Glenview: Glenview Road from Greenview Road to Springdale Avenue, intersection improvements and construction engineering. Milwaukee Avenue at Union Pacific Railroad crossing, bridge beam and deck replacement.