55th Street Project Delayed By Year

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – The 55th Street project in Western Springs was set to be done by late fall, but now it's expected to last another year.

On Wednesday, the village relayed to the public a 2-week-old message from the state Department of Transportation about the status of the 55th Street work.

Blaming "unforeseen utility conflicts," the department said it would work through late fall, pause for the winter and continue through fall of next year. The work started in March.

The utility issues are on 55th Street, between Wolf Road and Laurel Avenue, the department said.

The closed 55th Street lanes between Plainfield and Wolf roads will reopen for the winter, but close again in the spring, the state said.

The $9.5 million project on 55th Street is from Plainfield Road in Countryside to Interstate 294 in Western Springs, according to a department news release in March.

The work includes resurfacing 1.6 miles of 55th Street, modernizing traffic signals, building new Americans With Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalk ramps, and extending the existing multi-use path on the north side of the street from Brainard Avenue to Wolf Road, the state said.