Village Moving Ahead With Land Acquisition For 143 St. Extension

PLAINFIELD, IL — The Village of Plainfield is moving forward with the 143rd Street improvements after several years of negotiations. The village board on Monday signed an intergovernmental agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation regarding property acquisition along the proposed 143rd Street East extension located between Route 59 and Route 126.

According to village documents, the project is intended to address the acquisition of eleven parcels that are adjacent to Route 59 and Route 126. It also supports both the village's comprehensive and transportation plans by providing alternate routes within Plainfield to alleviate traffic congestion.

Allen Persons, public works director for the village, the additional crossing over the DuPage River will allow quicker and more convenient access between Route 59 and Route 126 while reducing truck traffic in the downtown area. When combined with the western extension of 143rd Street, this agreement will complete the entire corridor between Ridge Road and Route 126.

The village and developers will complete the western extension of 143rd Street, and a traffic signal will be installed at Meadow Lane and potentially at Ridge Road, Persons said.

The Village has received three grants for the eastern extension. These sources and amounts include: federal/state Surface Transportation Program Fund of $4.5 million; The Illinois Competitive Freight Fund of $20.3 million; and the federal/state shared Surface Transportation Fund of $17.18 million.

Persons said the future project costs for the extension is estimated around $59 million. The Illinois Competitive Freight Funding Program allows for a maximum of 80 percent of the project cost to be paid through the FAST federal program, and so the remaining 20 percent would be paid by the village.

As per the IDOT agreement, all costs including appraisals, engineering and legal fees will be borne by Plainfield and if IDOT pays for anything pertaining to the project, the village will be required to reimburse it within 30 days of the invoice.

Persons also said other grants will be pursued to subsidize the project. Money for the project will be funded through the capital improvement fund and will be split over multiple fiscal years. Bidding process will start in fall 2021 and the actual construction could possibly begin the following year.

Last October, the plan was in its engineering and environmental study phase. Noise studies for the project were completed and approved years ago. The village also met with a number of property owners along the proposed route, including the Bass & Gill Club. One residence and one business will be displaced due to the project, but village documents do not indicate which properties will be impacted.

Since the project was proposed, some residents have voiced concerns about the impact it could have on residents' quality of life, along with the effect on wildlife. A page dedicated to the project on the village website calls the extension a "logical connection between Route 126 and Route 59," adding, "as the village and the surrounding area has grown in population and industry over the last few years, the need for this project has grown as well."

However, in spite of the practical uses of the extension, residents have come up with several reasons for not supporting this project. A major concern has been that Plainfield will use residents' taxes to pay for the upkeep of the road and hence taxes will be increased. Other issues included displacement of longtime residents.

The only board member who voted against this on Monday was trustee Kevin Calkins, as he does not want to displace people for a roadway construction project. He is not in favor of the village acquiring property when the project has not been "fully funded" yet.

Trustee Harry Benton said the project is crucial to the community's infrastructure.

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