Utility work in anticipation of the Kreutzer Road widening in Huntley is due to begin next week, Village Manager Dave Johnson said Thursday.
However, when the roadwork will formally begin is less certain.
[ Huntley prepare to move ahead with major Kreutzer realignment after stalemate ]
Bids for the project are expected to come in April 24, Johnson said, adding that officials need to see where they are before proceeding with construction.
In neighboring Woodstock, bids came in millions of dollars over estimates last year, delaying construction for a year. Woodstock officials said most of the overage has been passed on to them, and the city is working to cover those costs.
Johnson said the Kreutzer Road project is “trending in the right direction.”
The state is handling the bid process for Kreutzer roadwork because some of the funds Huntley secured for the project are federal dollars, which passed through the Illinois Department of Transportation, Johnson said.
The price tag is $16.7 million, according to information presented at a February State of Huntley address, but Johnson said the village has gotten more than $13 million in outside funding for the project.
Drivers can expect intermittent lane closures along Kreutzer Road from the traffic signal at Walmart to the railroad tracks during the work. Flaggers will be on-site, Huntley Police said Thursday on Facebook. Drivers in the area should use caution and expect delays, police said.
The utility work should last four to six weeks, Johnson said.
ComEd and Nicor will be moving utilities in the corridor. A Nicor spokesperson said the utility company is relocating 3,600 feet of natural gas pipeline to accommodate the project.
While Huntley officials have been working on this project for the past several years, it hit a roadblock. Johnson said previously the state and the Union Pacific Railroad were in a stalemate over property rights to cross the tracks. The dispute has since been resolved.
The project involves widening Kreutzer Road to three lanes, one in each direction, and adding a center left-turn lane. The road will be realigned at the grade crossing with the Union Pacific Railroad. The tracks are where the Chicago-to-Rockford rail line is planned.
Huntley was considered to be a stop on the rail line, but the village declined it last year.