The Hillcrest Village Board of Trustees heard a report Jan. 14 from Village Engineer Kaitlin Wright on the short-term repair and long-term replacement of the currently closed Hemstock Road bridge.

The bridge was closed by the Illinois Department of Transportation in mid-October. In July, Ogle County inspected the bridge and found that its load rating declined sharply, from a 7 to a 4. After seeing those numbers, IDOT inspected the bridge in October and determined the steel piles that support it have deteriorated and that it should be closed.

The bridge is owned by the Village of Hillcrest. Baxter & Woodman inspected the bridge on Nov. 6 and found that all eight steel piles are corroded with two severely corroded and no longer supporting the bridge.

Wright said during the meeting that a short-term repair to open the bridge this year has been estimated by one contractor to cost $85,000. That would be paid for by the village. The board could work with Baxter & Woodman engineering personnel next month and potentially approve the repair project.

Wright asked the board to consider a typical bid process or a design-build process for the repair. The latter would be a faster process, but would require the village to waive competitive bidding. A design build would see Wright’s employer, Baxter & Woodman, create a design and work with a specific contractor to carry the work out.

Corroded parts of the two failing steel piles would be removed and then encased in concrete. Wright said construction could start in April or May at the soonest due to weather conditions for pouring concrete. IDOT would need to approve the repair plans and inspect the repaired bridge before reopening.

The 50-year-old bridge will require a long-term, full-scale replacement, Wright said. The estimated cost for that is $500,000-700,000. That project would see 80% of the construction covered by the federal government and the rest paid for by Hillcrest. Federal funds for the full replacement would not be available until as early as 2028, Wright said.

Village President Rick Rhoads gave Wright permission Wednesday to move forward with phase one of engineering for the long-term replacement of the bridge.

Peska

The board voted unanimously to appoint William Peska to an open trustee seat. Peska has lived in the village for 11 years.

“I’d be happy to help out the village,” Peska said.

Peska fills the seat left by Trustee Tim Ball, who resigned last month and moved out of the area. Ball handled ordinances for the village. The Hillcrest Village Board is now made up of Peska, Rhoads and Trustees Dan Potter (water), Eileen Braski (finance), Pam Pittman (community relations), Patricia Garcia (health and welfare) and James Wiley (public works).

Chip seal

Wright provided an update to the board during the meeting on Hillcrest’s 2026 chip seal program. All roads inside the Windover Park subdivision will be chip sealed, along with Hillcrest’s portion of Bethel Road.

The chip seal cost for 2026 is estimated to be $85,640, Wright said. The board will consider a resolution for approval on the matter at its February meeting.

Pump room

Potter said during the meeting that water lines inside the pump room of Hillcrest’s water well are corroded and need replacement “sooner rather than later.” A contractor will be coming out to assess the water lines and provide a cost estimate, Potter said.