Grundy Economic Development Commission shares results of Grundy Moves survey

The Grundy Economic Development Commission hosted a virtual meeting Feb. 22 featuring presentations from Illinois Department of Transportation District 3 program development engineer Mike Short and Dr. Ann Schneider of the Schneider & Associates consulting firm.

Short talked about the Rebuild Illinois capital plan and the projects it has brought to improve the infrastructure of Grundy County.

Ongoing projects include the construction on Interstate 80 east of Seneca to Route 47 in Morris. More work begins in 2024, this time on Interstate 55 from north of Route 47 to Gardner Road and Route 6 at Ashley Road in Morris.

Other projects coming later include a railroad bridge over I-80, bridge repairs over I-80 to Wabena Road in Minooka, replacement of the Brown Road bridge over I-80, the reconstruction of I-80 from Seneca to Route 47 in Morris, a replacement of the Route 6 bridge over Aux Sable Creek and the resurfacing of Route 6 from Route 57 to Nigas Road.

Route 6 through Morris to the intersection of Route 47 also is slated for reconstruction that will include additional repairs, and the bridge on Route 47 over the CSX railroad tracks and Buchanan Street will have its superstructure replaced.

There also will be bridge repairs to Route 17 over Reddick Run south of South Wilmington and a resurfacing of Route 53 from Gardner Road to the Will County line.

The Rebuild Illinois capital plan is a $44.8 billion investment unveiled in July 2023 that will run until 2029.

A total of $1.2 billion of this money is slated to be spent in District 3, which is made up of DeKalb, Bureau, La Salle, Kendall, Grundy, Livingston, Ford, Kankakee and Iroquois counties. Overall, $129 million is planned to be spent in Grundy County.

Schneider shared the results of the Grundy Moves survey at the meeting, which has ideas for projects that could come in the future, although nothing is in the works yet.

It’s created as a way to forecast what transportation needs to look like in the future as part of the Grundy County Transportation Master Plan. This plan will help establish boundaries and determine the scope of projects. It relies on collecting data on the existing transportation network, traffic volumes and congestion, heavy vehicle travel conditions, bridge and pavement conditions, safety data, railroad crossing data, and data from projects that already are happening or will be happening soon.

Those who participated in the survey said the biggest transportation needs in Grundy County include the minimization of the negative effects of truck traffic, congestion relief, more local transit options, a regional or intercity passenger rail, biking and pedestrian options, and improved safety.

I-80, I-55, Route 47, Route 113, Route 6 and Ridge Road were identified as key areas of congestion.

Those polled said they feel the most important outcome of Grundy Moves would be easing traffic, increasing safety, improving mobility and improving public transit options.

Other suggestions included exploring future Metra services; limiting warehouse development; and improving safety for seniors, people with disabilities and kids.

Schneider showed a list of potential projects that could come in the future. These aren’t things currently in the works but are projects that could help Grundy County reach the goal of its master plan.

Projects include widening Route 6 from Route 47 to Ridge Road, widening I-80 from Route 47 to I-55 and more. Many of these projects involve widening the most well-traveled roads around Grundy County.

More information on the Grundy Moves plan is available at grundymoves.com.