A planned Illinois Department of Transportation reconstruction and widening of Illinois Route 251 on the north side of Rochelle could start by the end of 2028, Rochelle Interim City Manager and City Engineer Sam Tesreau said Wednesday.

The state is currently slated to do the Illinois Route 251 work from south of Flagg Road to just south of Illinois Route 38 in coming years. The deteriorating portion of the state-owned Illinois Route 251 will see a widening to five lanes with bidirectional turn lanes and new signaling, lighting and pedestrian improvements. The city of Rochelle has lobbied for the reconstruction for over 20 years.

Tesreau said the start of the project is dependent upon IDOT and “many factors”, including a drainage easement at the rear of the city-owned former Hickory Grove site at 1127 N. Seventh St. to offset intersection flooding issues, right-of-way acquisition, permitting and funding.

Along with roadway lighting and improvements, the project will also include sidewalks to improve walkability, storm sewer drainage, and curb and gutter modernization.

At its Jan. 27, 2024 meeting, the Rochelle city council approved a resolution earmarking $3.7 million for its portion of the project, including lighting, water main improvements and replacement, sidewalk/shared-use path construction, traffic signals, banners and more.

“All of those things are currently in the works,” Tesreau said. “It’s just a matter of timing. From the city’s aspect, we’ll be involved with some utility relocation and improvements in that area for the project related to water main and miscellaneous sanitary sewer structures. That typically happens about a year before the project. We’ll be budgeting and planning for those improvements to happen in expectation of all the roadway improvements and widening.”

Tesreau called the current state of the Illinois Route 251 stretch of road on the north side of town “not very good” and “in need of full reconstruction.” The city of Rochelle public works department has a maintenance agreement with IDOT for some measures, including pothole patching to ensure its viability until the project takes place.

The city engineer of 23 years said once the reconstruction begins, the project will likely take about 18 months. Construction will be staged and IDOT has expressed a desire to keep area businesses open with limited access. One lane or multiple lanes will be shut down during construction and detours may take place, Tesreau said.

In 2004, Tesreau sent a letter to IDOT requesting that a reconstruction of Illinois Route 251 on the north side of Rochelle be put on its five-year plan. Over 20 years later, the project is ramping up.

“I’ve had a lot of involvement and interaction with IDOT over the years with different aspects of it, including public outreach programs and meetings and quarterly meetings between the city and IDOT on the project and design parameters,” Tesreau said. “I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I believe the project will come to fruition within the next couple of years.”

The Illinois Route 251 reconstruction is not the only Rochelle-area project on IDOT’s docket in the coming years. Already underway is the state’s diverging diamond interchange project on the east entrance to Rochelle at Interstate 39 and Illinois Route 38. The state also has plans in the coming years to construct a roundabout north of Rochelle at the intersection of Illinois Route 64 and Illinois Route 251.

Tesreau said all of those projects, while important for Rochelle and the region, stand to pose problems for access into and out of Rochelle while construction is ongoing. He said the city and IDOT will take a hard look at what traffic impacts will be seen and the best ways to mitigate those issues.

“We’ll have to take a better look at which projects may need to be delayed to allow for one project to be completed before another begins to avoid detour routes running into each other,” Tesreau said.

The city engineer and interim city manager said Rochelle and its greater area are fortunate that the upcoming roadway and transportation improvements are taking place.

“Most communities and counties don’t always get the attention that we’ve seen over the past 2-3 years with state projects,” Tesreau said. “With the development of our community and transportation needs and increases in traffic, all of these projects are important to our transportation network and the ability to move goods, services and the public to destination points.”

After over 20 years of working to see the state Illinois Route 251 project come to fruition, Tesreau is still excited about its prospects for the Rochelle community.

“I like the idea that the project will be urbanized with multi-lanes with a bidirectional turn lane in the middle to allow more efficient movement of traffic,” Tesreau said. “But I’m also big on walkability in our community. That and biking are alternative modes of transportation for a lot of people. Having that along a key commercial corridor in Rochelle will be beneficial for the city and its residents.”