The Village of Oak Park | 123 Madison St.  Oak Park, IL 60302 | village@oak-park.us

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Chicago Avenue resurfacing set to begin

Aug. 15, 2016 - With the sewer main replacement project nearly in the books, construction along Chicago Avenue reaches its final phase this week with the beginning of resurfacing that will span the entire stretch of the Village from Harlem Avenue to Austin Boulevard.

Unlike the sewer main project that caused road closures along Chicago Avenue from Ridgeland Avenue to Forest Avenue since late May, traffic will remain open on the east-west thoroughfare during resurfacing once the sewer main repairs are completed next week. However, motorists should expect disruptions to traffic and loss of on-street parking at times during resurfacing, which is expected to last at least three months.

Residents can follow along on the progress and get updates regarding the Chicago Avenue resurfacing project at www.oak-park.us/chicagoaveconstruction.

Over the next few weeks construction crews will focus on curb and gutter replacements. Sidewalk ramp improvements also will be made along the street to bring crossing up to the accessibility standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Pavement grinding, asphalt resurfacing and striping is expected to occur later this fall. Plans call for crews to generally work from west to east, starting at Harlem and progressing toward Austin.

One particular priority is to complete curb, gutter and sidewalk work between Forest and Grove avenues prior to Aug. 29, which marks the first day of school at nearby Holmes Elementary School. While grinding and paving will occur after school starts, plans are in place for work to be done between drop off and pick up hours.

The resurfacing project also includes installing new lighting, decorative sidewalks, crosswalks and street furnishings in the business district from Harlem to Belleforte avenues on the Village’s west side. The majority of these streetscaping initiatives likely will be completed in the spring of 2017.

As for parking, signs will be posted along Chicago Avenue indicating the dates and times of restrictions as construction progresses. Vehicle owners who have purchased overnight parking permits in Zone Z3 along Chicago Avenue will be provided passes to allow parking on adjacent side streets during construction.

The Illinois Department of Transportation awarded federal funding for the resurfacing project, which was coordinated to immediately follow the locally funded sewer main replacements that took place earlier this summer between Ridgeland and Scoville/Fair Oaks avenues and Grove and Forest avenues.

For more information regarding the resurfacing project, contact Assistant Village Engineer Byron Kutz at 708.358.5729 or bkutz@oak-park.us or project engineer Alex Alejandro of Edwin Hancock Engineering Co. at 708.865.0300 or aalejandro@ehancock.com.

HAWK pedestrian signal installation – In addition to the ongoing construction work, motorists and pedestrians on Chicago Avenue will soon notice a new hybrid street crossing signal on Chicago Avenue at Harvey Avenue.

The high-intensity activated crosswalk beacon, or HAWK, will give Chicago Avenue motorists a red light when activated by a pedestrian button or electronic detection of a bicycle. In addition to the red signal for motorists, walk indicators will be displayed for pedestrians and bicyclists crossing Chicago.

The signal heads facing traffic on Chicago remain dark unless the signal is activated. The system is expected to be fully operational by the end of October.