Eastern Avenue Extension Work Begins: Manhattan Mayor

MANHATTAN, IL — Work has started on the rebuilding of Eastern Avenue, an essential, one-mile stretch of road that will make a big difference to Manhattan, Mayor Mike Adrieansen believes.

The Village in May approved the rebuilding and reopening of Eastern Avenue, from Baker to Smith Road, bringing back another north/south entry point and connection to neighboring New Lenox. Work is expected to be completed within two months, Adrieansen said.

The extension "is a great thing happening," the mayor said.

"It will create a safer route for our residents and young drivers."

The portion of road was closed approximately 20 years ago due to its poor condition, Adrieansen previously told Patch. Reopening the stretch increases access to and from Manhattan, as a third north/south corridor along with Cedar Road and US 52. The reopening is essential as Manhattan grows, Adrieansen said, and was a top priority for him following his election.

"With all the truck traffic and the increased amount of traffic, we thought that this would be a safer route for our residents," Adrieansen told Patch in May, "especially young residents first getting their license."

The stretch will give residents another route to Lincoln-Way West High School, specifically, he said.

PT Ferro won the bid for the project, at a price tag of just under $1.3 million. The contract with the company requires that the work be completed by Nov. 30, 2023.

Two crashes in May also emphasized the need for the road's reopening. A three-car crash on US 52 at Baker Road that had traffic backed up and rerouted subsequently led to another crash at Cedar and Smith roads, when a driver detoured from the first crash.

The sequence and locations of the two crashes pointed to the necessity of reopening Eastern Avenue from Baker to Smith Road, as another north-south corridor in and out of Manhattan, former police chief Jeff Wold told Patch. Will County has also since made the intersection of Cedar and Smith roads a four-way stop.

"Opening Eastern Avenue will reduce the traffic on 52, and reduce the traffic on Cedar, and if there is a situation that would cause Cedar or 52 to close, it would give at least two ways to get out of town, heading north toward New Lenox," Wold said at the time.