March 29, 2024
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State lawmaker secures $675,000 grant for Kendall County's Eldamain Road project

State Rep. Keith Wheeler, R-Oswego, has secured a $675,000 grant to help finance the construction of the Eldamain Road extension and bridge project, Fran Klaas, county engineer, told the county board during a meeting Tuesday morning, Dec. 15.

Wheeler obtained the grant funds through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, according to Klaas.

"Every bit helps because we have quite a bit of state and federal money in the project," Klaas said.

Construction on the long-awaited infrastructure project will begin this spring.

The county's financial contribution to the project remains unknown due to delays at the Illinois Department of Transportation, Klaas said, but the county expects making a local contribution between $3 million and $7 million.

Two companies, Plote Construction Inc. and Dunnet Bay Construction Company, submitted bids for the project that now await IDOT approval.

County officials have been planning the Eldamain Road project for decades. The project entails extending Eldamain Road south from River Road across the river to West Highpoint Road - making it the second bridge spanning the Fox River constructed under the direction of the county. The county's Orchard Road bridge in Oswego was completed in 2001.