Route 47 Updates Presented by IDOT; Pot Holes Addressed

About a week ago an IDOT representative visited Yorkville to discuss updates on the Route 47 project.

If you missed it, here's a selection of highlights of the information presented by Julia Messina, Community Relations Manager IDOT D3.  

• Work continues on the retaining wall removal with the excavation of dirt behind the wall. Excavation will be ongoing, as weather allows, for approximately 1 more week. Removal of the wall itself will follow.

• The jacking/boring subcontractor is scheduled to begin work the week of June 24 on the installation of the storm sewer under the RR tracks at the Hydraulic Street intersection. This work will be ongoing for approximately 2 weeks. As work progresses and is completed, D Construction, Inc. will begin installation of the junction chamber structures related to the storm sewer in this area. Subsequent storm sewer work will follow and continue for most of the rest of the year.

• AT&T needs to perform utility relocation north of the river at the River Street intersection. To allow this to be done, the current traffic pattern will be modified between Hydraulic Street and River Street Northbound traffic will be moved to the side of the bridge which is currently closed, while southbound traffic will experience minor changes as well. This will last until the work is completed. No timeframe for this work is currently known, as it still needs to be coordinated by the contractor and AT&T.  Motorists should be alert for these changes when they occur. 

• The city of Yorkville has requested that the west leg of the Hydraulic Street intersection be reopened when current work there is completed.  It is now reopened.  Motorists are reminded that left turns onto the west leg of Hydraulic Street from IL 47 will not be allowed. The east leg of that intersection will remain closed.

• Pedestrians are reminded that the east sidewalk, on the bridge across the Fox River, on through to the Hydraulic Street intersection, is closed.

• Significant work to address repair of potholes throughout the length of the project, south of the river, has been preformed. Work consisted of pavement milling and replacement.

• Motorists are reminded of the 30 mph speed limit throughout the project, changed traffic patterns and restricted lane widths. They are also reminded that cell phone use in the construction zone is not allowed by law. They also should be alert for flaggers and all other workers and for slow or stopped traffic as well.

• Utility work north of the river will take approximately 2 months, weather permitting. It will take 6 weeks to string the cable through the ducts and splice it in.

• South of the river utility work is essentially done.

• Pavement has been removed in preparation for storm sewer work from Hydraulic Street to Van Emmon Street.

• Dirt excavation is being done along the wall on IL 47.

• Contractor work will include the following: burying a series of 3.5 foot storm sewer pipes and massive vaults underground—up and out in both directions, including under the railroad tracks.   Pipes will be placed from the river outward.

• IDOT will make every possible accommodation to assist property owners to access entryways along the project route by providing drums to delineate entrances. We will make every effort to stop in and talk with residents and businesses prior to working on areas that could block entryway access to their properties in order to determine alternate entryway access points.

• The east leg of Hydraulic Street is currently closed because motorists were creating a traffic safety risk by continuing to make left-hand turns, even though the “no-left turn” signs were posted and clearly visible. The Police Chief asked that the road be closed, and we closed it. Motorists are encouraged to use Van Emmon Street for left-hand turns from IL 47 to access Hydraulic Street.

• Upon reconstruction, Hydraulic Street will be right-in and right-out only.

• While it is true that the project is 1 year behind schedule, IDOT is not responsible for the delay, as it is the responsibility of the utilities to get the preliminary utility movement under way before the IDOT contractor can begin the IL 47 improvements.

• The contractor and IDOT are studying the option of pouring permanent pavement instead of temporary pavement in the area currently under construction in the downtown portion of the project.  If this is done, the change would eliminate temporary pavement used for staging traffic and speed construction as well.

• In response to the question regarding contractor work days: D Construction, Inc. has 250 work days to complete their work on this project; this equates to two and a half construction seasons.

• With regard to easements: residents and businesses who signed easements with the state should contact the land acquisition person they dealt with originally and ask him or her if the easement expires or can be extended if the project goes beyond the agreement.

• With regard to the raised median concerns expressed by businesses located along IL 47, IDOT assured the attendees that in order to balance traffic safety and business access concerns, the IL 47 project provides for the fewest and shortest raised medians allowed by law.