Road Resurfacing Begins Monday

The weather is getting nicer and that means construction season is under way.

Monday road resurfacing will begin along Washington Street at the southern end of the street from Bluebird Lane to Ring Road. The project is expected to last through May, according to the .

The roughly two-mile section of Washington Street set for improvements has not been resurfaced since 1992, said Rahat Bari, project engineer for the city of Naperville Transportation, Engineering and Development Business Group.

“Since then [1992], the city has performed regular maintenance work to keep the roadway in functional condition,” he said in an email. “However, during last 20 years of service, this roadway has deteriorated to the point that we have to resurface it to preserve it for another 10-15 years.”

The total cost of the project is approximately $1.32 million, but the city is receiving grant funding to defer the majority of the city’s cost, Bari said.

The city applied for a Federal Surface Transportation Program grant in 2009 and was awarded $924,000, Bari said. The city also received $300,000 from a State Emergency Repair Program Grant that will leave the city’s cost at $100,000.

The city has also received grant funding for projects that will take place in coming years, Bari said.

“The city regularly applies for federal and state grants to do road maintenance.  Any grant money that city receives lessens the burden of the taxpayer,” Bari said. “In fact, the city has recently received federal funding [$1.13 million dollars] to resurface Book Road [87th Street to the city limit] and Diehl Road [IL Route 59 to Raymond Drive] in 2012 construction season.”

For now, drivers must contend with more roadwork on Washington. Geneva Construction will be handling the resurfacing project, which will take place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The city is asking drivers to consider taking other routes if possible.

During the morning rush hour, the work will be limited in the southbound direction to minimize the impact on the motorists, Bari said.  In the afternoon work will be limited to the northbound direction only.  Access to all businesses, side streets and neighborhoods will remain open all the time. 

According to the city, message boards will be placed along Washington Street to keep motorists up-to-date on the progress of the project.

For more information on the city of Naperville’s Roadway Resurfacing Program, visit www.naperville.il.us/mip.aspx.