Story posted Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Plan To Widen River Rd. Near Casino
Once the new Des Plaines casino opens in 2012, the 2,000 or so people who are expected to work at and visit the entertainment venue on a daily basis will somehow have to get there as quickly and as easily as possible.
Major street improvements in front of the casino on River Road will take care of that, city officials and casino representatives hope.
An $18 million construction project that calls for widening River Road between Devon and Touhy avenues is scheduled to begin this May. According to Tim Oakley, Des Plaines' director of engineering and public works, plans call for that stretch of roadway to be completely reconstructed and supervised by the city in order to expedite work. The city will also take over ownership of that segment of roadway. River will be widened from its current four lanes to five and in front of the casino six lanes. Two left turn lanes for northbound traffic will be built in front of the casino to allow easier access. One of the six lanes will also allow for right turns into the casino from southbound traffic. New traffic signals will also be installed at River and Devon and two new left turn lanes for southbound River Road traffic to eastbound Devon.
Oakley said the work will take about a year to complete.
The second phase of River Road work will begin sometime in 2011 or 2012. Plans call for the roadway to be totally reconstructed from Rand Road on the north to Touhy Avenue on the south. Recently renovated intersections at Oakton and Algonquin roads will not be altered, said Oakley.
This project will include new traffic signals at Miner Street and Busse Highway just east of the Miner Street bridge. Also, northbound traffic on River Road will be able to make a left turn onto Rand Road once the project is finished. A section of River Road south of the downtown Metra railroad tracks near Ashland Avenue will be elevated between one foot and 18-inches to keep it above the flood plain that's along the adjacent Des Plaines River.
Oakley said there is no estimated cost yet for the project although he knows it will exceed $20 million.
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