Starting Monday and until Oct. 31, installation of sound barriers along I-55 in Plainfield will close West Frontage Road between Caton Farm Road and Route 30 ]from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Officials say the roadway will be closed to through traffic, weather permitting, but access will be provided to residents living in adjacent subdivisions. The roadway will be open at the end of each work day.
Detour signs will be posted the detour routes using Caton Farm and Route 30.
The tagline for for this blog is "Helping you get from here to there." For the past few months that has also been the motto for the Valentine's Day gift I gave to my wife...a GPS unit.
After making a wrong turn and getting hopelessly lost while going to an unfamiliar suburb, my wife insisted that she needed a GPS.
I agreed, and since then she was happily without any travel drama. In fact. she expressed delight earlier this week when she used it to drive our college-bound daughter to a testing site that she probably would have had a hard time finding without a GPS.
That delight turned ugly one day later. While not having a GPS can cause woe, so to, it turns out, can having one. Because she was in a hurry to get to work, my wife left the GPS unit on the windshield, a no, no for those looking to ward off thieves.
But what are the odds that the one time she leaves it on the windshield that any evil would befall us? Well, the odds are pretty good, it turns out.
She returned to the parking lot to find the driver's side backseat window smashed and the GPS unit gone. The thief must have been interupted because the unit's power cord and a bunch of CDs (including an audobook) were left behind. (We can scratch off any Debbie Macomber fans from the suspect list).
Needless to say, if you think it can't happen to you, think again.
Here's are some tips from Allstate Insurance on avoiding car thefts and break-ins.
Hope it helps.
If you use Route 47 in Sugar Grove, be aware that sewer work will close at least one lane of the roadway at Cross Street for about two months starting Monday, April 26. One lane will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from April 26 to June 30. Updates on other closures will be posted on the municipality's website here.
Elgin area motorists who had to find workarounds while heading south because of the Dunham closure will be relieved to know it is again open.
That means they can avoid the speed bump otherwise known as Route 59 as they head southbound.
Work on the Veterans Memorial Tollway, (AKA the North-South Tollway or I-355) may not have gotten as much press as the Ike project but that doesn't mean the headaches are any less severe. Plus, the Ike work is causing some "collateral damage," if you will, on the I-355, especially for those heading north.
Thursday was a perfect example.
Back-ups reached the 9 mile mark for northbound I-355 during Thursday's rush, according to reports. And it may only be getting worse before it gets better. Work is expected to last to the end of the year.
Tollway officials cautioned ahead of time that I-355 northbound commuters will see delays as they head into the section of I-355/I-290 from Army Trail Road to Thorndale Avenue that is part of the Ike project. Traffic on the Ike will be reduced to two lanes throughout construction.
The I-355 Roadway Resurfacing & Bridge Repair Project, as it's being called, started last week between the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) and Army Trail Road and between I-55 and 75th Street. The $50 million project calls for resurfacing the original 20-year-old roadway along an 18 mile corridor in both directions of I-355 between the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88) and Army Trail Road. The project also includes repairs to pavement at the Army Trail Toll Plaza and between I-55 and 83rd Street as well as bridge repairs throughout the corridor.
Traffic in both directions was shifted to the right shoulder and two right lanes, creating a work zone to begin concrete pavement repairs and resurfacing work.
Crews will perform concrete patches as needed, and resurface the road with a new, four-inch layer of asphalt in both directions between 83rd and 75th Street and between Ogden Avenue and the Army Trail Road Toll Plaza, including collector-distributor roads, ramps and shoulders.
Be prepared, the Tollway has announced night-time closures. You can check for updates here.
Here's the outlook for tonight and tomorrow:
Constructon work on the Eisenhower Expressway has begun in ernest and motorists using the "expressway", ha, ha, have just gotten a taste of what's in store.
Here's a list from IDOT on what's closed:
·The left lane is now closed on eastbound and westbound Interstate 290 from Church to I-355.
·The right lane is now closed on northbound I-355 from Lake Street to Interstate 290.
·The right lane is now closed on southbound I-355 from Interstate 290 to Army Trail.
·The eastbound Lake Street (US-20) entrance ramp to northbound I-355 and westbound I-290 is closed. Traffic will be detoured on IL Route 53 to Army Trail Road
·The right lane is permanently closed westbound Interstate 290 from Sacramento to Manheim.
·The left lane is permanently closed on eastbound Interstate 290 from Church to Wolf Road.
·The right lane is permanently closed on eastbound Interstate 290 from Wolf Road to Sacramento.
Happy motoring!
Resurfacing and other repairs are slated to start on Wednesday in Naperville on Ogden Avenue between Beaumont and Raymond drives. The work will include lane closures through late June.
On the plus side no closures will be in effect during the morning rush hours on eastbound and northbound Ogden Avenue.
But motorists are still beng urged to seek alternate routes and allow extra travel times. The Ogden Avenue project includes pavement patching, curb and gutter removal and replacement, drainage structure adjustment, and roadway resurfacing.
Yippee!
Are you sick and tired of sitting behind the wheel in traffic during your commute? Well, commuters who travel in DuPage County can use a new tool to check out bike trails in the county. Using the trails might be a way to get in shape, relieve stress AND save on gas costs.
This week the county enveiled an online interactive map for bikeways and trails. The map, accessable via the county's Web site isan overview of each bike path thorught DuPage, according to a press release.
"Its features include options to highlight or omit certain map details like city boundaries, open space, train stations or other structures; and like most interactive maps, the father you zoom in, the more detail you'll see," the release boasts.
Jeff Redick, chairman of the county's Environmental Committee said the map can be used for both off-road paths or streets.
Bike path maps are available by mail but the online version is being toutedd as giving more detail.
See the map here.
So, all you in the Elgin area were feeling pretty smug that the Eisenhower Expressway work was not in your neck of the woods. You called your brother-in-law who takes the Ike every day and cried alligator tears.
Well don't look now but motorists in the Elgin area will be getting a bit of incovenience too starting this week.
Construction work on McDonald Road in South Elgin, Randall Road in Elgin and in downtown Elgin gets underway and travel could be a little bogged down.
Here's how it all breaks down, according to The Elgin Courier-News:
Traffic along Randall Road between Randall and Umbdenstock will be shifted onto a temporary pavement along the north side as new pavement is built along the south side. Along Randall, the northbound turn lane onto eastbound McDonald will be closed, but vehicles will be allowed to turn right from the outer lane. On McDonald between Randall and Briargate Drive, traffic will be reduced to one lane in the eastbound direction, but westbound lanes will remain unchanged.
Congestion along Randall Road on Elgin's north side may be affected worse than near McDonald Road, but for only two days -- this Tuesday and Wednesday. County officials said the long bridge south of Big Timber Road, which passes over Tyler Creek and the Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific railroads, will be inspected on those days, and traffic on the bridge will be narrowed to one lane in each direction.
Phase 4 of the Elgin central business district's water main improvements continue this week, according to Executive Director Tonya Hudson of the Downtown Neighborhood Association. Mainline installation will be going on along Highland Avenue between Douglas Avenue and Center Street. The north lane of Highland will be closed and parking will be restricted in the construction area.
Phase 4 work includes Highland from Riverside Drive to Center; Spring Street from Highland to Division Street; and Center Street from Kimball Street to Dundee Avenue.
Hudson said the installation of brick paver crosswalks along Douglas Avenue, Division Street and Symphony Way will begin in mid-April. Work on Phase 4 streetscape improvements along Highland and North Grove avenues will begin in mid- to late May.
Beginning this week and continuing through mid-May, the Illinois Department of Transportation will perform concrete roadway patching at various locations along Route 64. Patching work within St. Charles will be performed between Kirk and Kautz roads.
The overall limits of the project extend farther east into DuPage County. City officials warn that drivers may experience some delays during business hours.
Work on the Ike starts tonight and even though a good number of people do not work on Good Friday the headaches associated with construction might mean motorists will want to take an asprin the size of an easter egg.
Naperville officials sent out this handy-dandy guide for residents thinking about using Metra instead of trying to drive to points east:
Residents and commuters looking to avoid potential traffic delays are encouraged to explore other public transit options, such as Metra and Pace, as an alternative to driving during construction.
For residents traveling to downtown Chicago, Metra's Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Line provides service from Naperville's Route 59 and downtown stations to Chicago's Union Station. Multiple trains run during the peak commuting hours to provide express service to downtown Chicago in approximately 35 minutes.
Metra offers a variety of affordable ticket options, including 10-ride and monthly passes, which are available for purchase online and at Metra stations. Visit www.metrarail.com to purchase 10-ride and monthly passes online, view the train schedules and to obtain information and tips for riding on Metra. Additional information on Pace bus routes can be found at www.pacebus.com. For more information on public transit in Naperville, visit www.naperville.il.us/transit.aspx.
Commuter Parking
Daily fee parking spaces are available near the Route 59 and downtown Naperville train stations. In early 2009, the City of Naperville added new daily fee parking spaces at the downtown Naperville station. The new parking spaces are located in the parking lot at the southeast corner of 5th Avenue and Loomis Street on the City of Naperville's Water Tower West site and will be available until a future use for the property has been approved. Maps detailing the locations of the daily fee parking spaces are available on the city's Web site at www.naperville.il.us/commuterparking.aspx.
Daily fee parking spaces are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and cost $2 per day. Fees must be paid at the automatic payment machines located near the downtown Naperville train station and on the north platform at the Route 59 train station. Sign up to receive the latest commuter news via e-mail at www.naperville.il.us/enews.aspx.
