Will County OKs 5-year transportation blueprint

Miles of highways, 30 intersections to be improved

The Will County Board approved its five-year transportation improvement plan Thursday, including more than $568.6 million in improvement projects from fiscal year 2023 to 2028.

The plan includes several projects across the south and southwest suburbs designed to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion and accidents, said transportation director Jeff Ronaldson. It includes more than 20 miles of improved highways and reconstruction of more than 30 intersections.

The plan is updated yearly to provide residents with an overview of the construction projects the county plans and serves as a planning tool for future improvement and maintenance, Ronaldson said.

The county expects continued residential, commercial, distribution and industrial growth and projects the population will top 1.2 million people and an additional 235,000 jobs, creating more congestion on the county’s highway system, according to the Will Connects 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan.

Funding comes from federal, state and local sources. The county anticipates about $572 million of revenue over the five years.

On Feb. 1, 2020, the county began to collect a 4-cent-pergallon motor fuel tax to pay for road maintenance.

Board member Joe VanDuyne said the 4-cent tax can generate about $19 million in revenue per year, and it is estimated about 65% of traffic that comes through the county originated from outside Will County. These drivers will refuel at stations within the county to reduce the burden of road maintenance from residents, he said.

With an increase in the number of warehouses being built and number of semi trucks traveling the roads, as well as the state’s decision to increase the weight limit on trucks, it is important to be proactive with road maintenance, VanDuyne said. He said it is more cost effective to resurface the roads before rebuilding.

“We can’t stop trucks, but our job as a county is to make our roads as safe and efficient as possible,” he said.

Some of the corridor improvement projects include Bell Road in Homer Glen from 159th to 131st streets, and 143rd Street in Homer Glen from State Street to Bell Road. The intersection of Bell Road and 143rd Street will also be improved, likely in 2023 or 2024, Ronaldson said.

The traffic volume through Homer Glen has increased over the last 10 years, and the 143rd Street and Bell Road intersection improvements should help reduce accidents, Ronaldson said.

Utility relocation is ongoing on Bell Road from 159th to 151st streets and construction on this segment could start as early as fall, Ronaldson said. This project ties into the Illinois Department of Transportation’s 159th Street widening project so the road will have two lanes in each direction, traffic signals at Meadow View Lane and a noise wall on the west side of the street from Meadow View Lane to Woodland Drive.

Construction on 143rd Street from State Street to Bell Road in Homer Glen project is expected to begin in 2024 and include two lanes in each direction and a new traffic signal to be installed at Crème Road.

In the Tinley Park and Mokena area the county is planning to reconstruct 80th Avenue between 191st and 183rd streets to create a fourlane divided roadway with intersection improvements and a new bridge over Interstate 80. County officials said 80th Avenue has seen a substantial increase in traffic as development south of I-80 has increased.

Utility relocation is ongoing and construction could start as early as fall, Ronaldson said.

Work along an 8-mile stretch of Laraway Road in the New Lenox and Frankfort area from U.S. Route 52 to U.S. Route 45 is expected over the next five years to accommodate an increase in traffic and improve safety, Ronaldson said.

Laraway Road is a major east-west connector within the county and its improvements have been split into separate projects that include additional through lanes and traffic signals, plus intersection improvements.

Also, the eastern Will County area is under a study to determine the best location and improvements needed for an east-west truck route. This is coming out of a grassroots effort by the eastern Will County communities to provide better information for truck traffic, county officials said.

Ronaldson said it is possible that increasing costs of materials or supply chain disruptions could delay projects to the next fiscal year. He said the county has made conservative estimates on the costs of each of its projects.