Even a decade ago, northern Grundy County could’ve been described as a quiet, rural place, and while that still describes most of the county, that description is no longer mutually exclusive.

As the county enters 2026, it prepares for even more development along Interstate 80, U.S. Route 6, and Interstate 55. Here are some projects to be on the lookout for in the future.

Chicago Logistics Hub

The Canadian National Chicago Logistics Hub has technically begun construction, but there are still some hoops for Canadian National to jump through.

The project has to undergo the village of Channahon’s process for reviews and approval, and there’s still an ongoing lawsuit against Canadian National subsidiary Wisconsin Central to prevent the hub from using McLinden Road for truck traffic over a certain weight limit.

Minooka is suing to protect its right to enforce pre-existing weight limits on its roads while Wisconsin Central believes federal law pre-empts it from having to follow those weight limits.

Both parties have moved for summary judgment, and Judge Matthew F. Kennelly requested a USB drive of all summary judgment briefs and exhibits in November.

The project could put an additional 200,000 trucks on Ridge Road and Interstate 80, but it won’t do that until after 2026.

McKinley Park undergoing renovations

It’s not all controversial in Grundy County in 2026: The City of Morris is continuing its journey to improve all the parks in the city, this time with McKinley Park at 504 McKinley St.

The park is closed for 2026, sans the ball diamond, as that will remain in use once baseball season starts back up.

The City of Morris said in a statement Wednesday that renovations are under way to make the park safer, more accessible, and more enjoyable for the community.

Coal City Intermediate School undergoing repairs

Coal City Intermediate School closed in late October 2024 due to structural damage to the roof trusses, and students will be back inside the building by fall.

Superintendent Chris Spencer said in a Community Pulse column in October 2025 that two of the three trusses over the school’s north gymnasium were damaged, and a noticeable crack developed on the north wall. Architects, engineers and the Grundy/Kendall Regional Office of Education determined it was best to get students and staff out of the building.

Since then, students have been learning at other buildings in the district. Soon, they will return to a newly renovated $4.9 million school that’s rid of the structural damage.

The renovated school will include a multi-use area for programming, and the school band/music room will be located in what used to be the stage.

Morris data center project still in need of a partner

Data centers are even more of a 2026 topic than they are a 2025 topic, so much of the information looking ahead isn’t too different from the year in review. Minooka has an Equinix Data Center that will be coming, and construction will begin in 2026.

Morris, meanwhile, has a data center approved for south of Route 6 near Gun Club Road on a property that is currently farmland. This property will remain farmland until there’s any movement on a partner for a data center.

The new information is this: The City of Morris has said there will soon be an FAQ for city residents to answer questions and address concerns. One of those concerns is water usage and another is power usage. Both power and water bills in the region have already increased thanks to higher usage in both.

That said, it’s not yet known how much water and power a data center in Morris would use. Any projections are preliminary, as there isn’t yet a partner decided for these projects.