Will County says busy Weber Road intersection warrants left-turn lane

The Will County Department of Transportation determined a three-way intersection along Weber Road in Crest Hill warrants a left turn lane being added.

The county is looking to add a left turn lane to the southbound lanes on Weber Road for vehicles turning onto Knapp Road. The three-way intersection is just north of Route 30.

Jeff Ronaldson, the county’s director of transportation, told the Will County Board Public Works & Transportation Committee last week that he spoke with the city of Crest Hill about the project, though the discussions are preliminary.

“Provided on their decision on participation, we might be able to move forward in the very near future on that,” Ronaldson said.

He said a traffic count found about 17% of vehicles traveling south on Weber make left turns on Knapp Road, which Ronaldson said was a “significant” amount. Cars turning left tend to clog up southbound traffic on Weber Road.

Ronaldson said in an interview the project could cost around $1.5 million, but he has engaged Crest Hill officials on potentially splitting the costs. He said in similar past arrangements, the county would fund about two-thirds of the project costs and another municipality would cover the remaining third.

“It won’t be cheap,” Ronaldson said.

The project would require a widening of the four-lane road. Ronaldson added construction will also have to accommodate the fact that the road is on a flood plane.

Ronaldson said he hopes to bring forward a project agreement with Crest Hill for approval by the end of the year. Still, he said construction on the project could take around two years to complete.