Downers Grove will complete $25 million road reconstruction project this year

Did you know if you drove every inch of every street owned by the Village, you would travel 167 miles.

That does not include roads maintained by the county and state like Ogden Avenue and 63rd Street.

Downers Grove sold $25 million worth of bonds in 2010 to finance reconstruction projects adding some existing funds to the mix putting 99 percent of the streets in “maintainable” condition over the last five years, according to the village website.

During the last five years, 12 miles of streets in 11 neighborhoods—some are in process—have been redone with another 43 miles resurfaced and the remainder getting the necessary maintenance to keep them good for years to come.

According to its website, the village puts a priority on maintenance. It costs $500,000 per mile to resurface a street but $2 million to rebuild one from the ground underneath, according to information on the website.

The goal of keeping costs down starts within three years of paving. That is when cracks are filled with rubberized asphalt to prevent further water infiltration. The process is repeated every few years. The village plans to resurface every asphalt street within 17 to 20 years of its last replacement.