Burr Ridge Anti-Flood Project To Start: Official

BURR RIDGE, IL – The long-awaited $1 million flood prevention project near Elm Elementary School will start this summer, a Burr Ridge official said Monday.

In January, the village indicated uncertainty over a $785,000 federal grant for the project. That was after President Donald Trump announced a federal funding freeze that he later rescinded.

In January, officials said they would proceed with the project regardless of whether the federal money comes in.

But it appears the matter has been resolved.

At Monday night's Village Board meeting, Village Administrator Evan Walter said Elm Street would be closed from June to September because of the project.

The village plans to build a culvert that is expected to solve flooding in that area.

"We're also going to be doing a water main replacement and some sewer work in the area as well," Walter said.

The flooding near Elm Elementary is the result of stormwater going to the deteriorating Elm Street culvert from several towns, according to the village.

A few times a year, Elm Street floods, sometimes requiring street closures.

The project was supposed to be done last summer, with the village later explaining why it didn't happen.

In an email Tuesday, Walter told Patch that the village received confirmation in April that the grant had been approved at the federal level.

"The Village, through an assistance agreement (standard operating procedure with the US EPA), will be reimbursed for our construction costs at the project's conclusion later this year," Walter said in an email.

Also at Monday's meeting, Walter told the board that the 79th Street pathway project is "basically done with landscaping."

"Head out and look. Dave (Preissig, public works director) did a great job on that with his staff," Walter said. "We built it from scratch as it goes through the trees."