LaGrange Road Lane Closures, May 1

Beginning May 1, the Illinois Department of Transportation will begin tree removal, median removal, temporary pavement construction and drainage improvements along LaGrange Road in Orland Park.

Gas Main Break Won't Delay Rt. 30 Construction

The leak near U.S. Route 30 and 78th Avenue backed up traffic Wednesday, but it won't slow down the Rt. 30 construction project, a village official said. Find out what freak accident caused the break.

A gas main break near the corner of U.S. Route 30 and 78th Avenue on Wednesday won't cause any delays on the Rt. 30 widening project, a village official said. Assistant Village Administrator Rob Piscia met with Illinois Department of Transportation officials Thursday to discuss the project in general and was told by agency representatives that the break would have no effect on the construction project. READ: Gas Main Breaks at Rt. 30 and 78th Avenue Traffic on Rt. 30 was blocked in both directions Wednesday afternoon as crews from Nicor fixed the leak, which is completely repaired. Far from ideal, accidents like this can be part and parcel for road construction projects, and crews know how to handle them, Piscia said. What was unusual …

• Photos (1)

Detour Ahead: Elsner-Rt. 30 Intersection to Close Aug. 20

The closing, which will last about 28 days, comes as part of the U.S. Route 30 widening project, a village official said.

In order to totally reconstruct the roadway as part of the U.S. Route 30 widening project, the Illinois Department of Transportation will be closing the intersection at Elsner Road Rt. 30 for about 28 days beginning Aug. 20, a village official said. The road work will connect Elsner with the new Rt. 30 lanes, and residents are being advised to use Nebraska Street to LaGrange Road as a detour, said Assistant Village Administrator Rob Piscia. READ: Support Businesses Through These Tough Construction Times With Patch's Rt. 30 Raffle "It's basically tearing up the pavement to tie everything in with the curbs and gutters," he said. The timing of the intersection closing is problematic, to say the least. Lincoln-Way East High School starts its …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Businesses Struggle as Rt. 30 Construction Continues

Potential customers are avoiding the roadwork along the highway, leaving local shops and restaurants in a financial lurch.

Since its outset in late 2010, the U.S. Route 30 widening project that runs from Harlem Avenue in Frankfort to William Street in New Lenox has been billed as a boon for residents. The project, which turns the 8.5-mile stretch of road into a four-lane highway, will eliminate traffic problems and be an overall benefit to residents. But no one mentioned the toll the construction would take on businesses up and down Rt. 30, especially in the unincorporated area just west of Harlem. That part of the work zone is dotted with tiny strip malls that have been adversely affected by the heavy construction being done. READ: Keep Up With the Construction's Progress in Our Rt. 30 Section As delays push the road work into its second summer, the owners of…

•  10 Comments
• Photos (3)

I-80 and LaGrange Among the Most Crash-Prone Intersections: IDOT

Junctions at Cicero and 127th in Alsip and Lincoln Highway in Matteson are in the Top 10, according to IDOT's 2010 crash figures.

An off ramp at Interstate 80 and LaGrange Road is the most crash-prone intersection in the south suburbs, according to data released by the Illinois Department of Transportation. The westbound off-ramp from I-80 onto LaGrange Road, which leads into Orland Park and Tinley Park, recorded 56 crashes in 2010. That's the second highest crash total in the six-county metro area. The highest crash figure is 63, recorded at Stony Island Avenue and South Chicago Avenue on Chicago's South Side. State Police Sgt. Jim Powell told Sun-Times Media in a report today that people stopping to judge LaGrange Road traffic are causing the accidents: “People stop, and there’s two turning lanes with a sign out there that says no turn on red except right lane.” …

•  12 Comments
• Photos (1)

Does the Mild Winter Mean Rt. 30 Construction Will Start Soon?

The favorable weather conditions this season have residents asking Frankfort officials when the massive road-widening project will be up and running again.

Unseasonably warm temperatures and a lack of snow. Two elements that can be welcome signs for road construction. But the favorable weather conditions aren't a guarantee that construction will resume early on the U.S. Route 30 widening project. "Unfortunately, when they (the Illinois Department of Transportation) plan to do a project, they usually release the crews during the winter and return at a certain date," said Assistant Village Administrator Rob Piscia at Monday's Village Board meeting. "No one would've anticipated we would have this type of weather, and therefore you've seen kind of a lag in why construction hasn't picked up. READ: (Almost) All You Need to Know About the Widening of Route 30 "We're hoping that within the next few …

• Photos (1)

Start Driving 35: New U.S. 30 Speed Limit Begins Friday

The lowered speed limit will run through the construction zone between William Street in New Lenox and Harlem Avenue in Frankfort.

Get ready to slow down along U.S. Route 30 starting this weekend. A new, lowered speed limit through the roadway's construction zone begins Friday, according to an Illinois Department of Transportation press release. The new 35-mph speed limit will be in effect through Frankfort, New Lenox and Mokena, between William Street in New Lenox and Harlem Avenue in Frankfort. The normal speed limit in those areas is 40 mph or 45 mph.  With the new speed limit comes increased fines for speeding. A first offense will cost a driver a minimum of $250, and a second offense will be a minimum of $750. Cell phone use also will not be allowed in the construction zone. The reduction comes after the village lobbied IDOT last month to approve a lower speed …

•  7 Comments
• Photos (2)

Gretchen Kron Dust

8:32 am on Monday, November 14, 2011

I agree, hopefully it sounds like it will be lowered just for construction. What angers me the most is seeing the flag people talking on their phones or texting! When you're not paying attention to the traffic then it's us that are in danger. Also the people that are driving the construction vehicles and are speeding all over the place, not safe either. Talk about the extreme double standard!   more ›

UPDATED: IDOT Reduces Speed Limit Through U.S. 30 Construction Zone

No date has been set for when the new 35 mph speed limit will begin.

UPDATED (11:16 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9)--No date has been set for the speed limit change, Guy Tridgell, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Transportation, wrote in an e-mail this morning. "We still are working with the contractor to produce the signs that will be erected through the work zone. There is a significant number," Tridgell wrote. "The 35 mph speed limit essentially will be throughout the length of the project, though we are still determining if it will be in effect along the stretches where construction is not taking place."  Drivers will need to slow down when they navigate the construction areas along U.S. Route 30 caused by the massive road-widening project. The speed limit along that 8.5-mile stretch that runs from …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Bidding on Track for U.S. 30 Widening

Bid letting for the massive construction project is set for the end of January.

The widening of U.S. Route 30 continues to get closer to becoming a reality as Frankfort Village Board members confirmed at Monday's meeting that the bid letting process for the project is set for the end of this month. Bid letting is when the sealed bids submitted from contractors are opened and inspected in a public forum, Guy Tridgell, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Transportation said in an e-mail Tuesday. The next bid letting is scheduled for Jan. 21, he added. The project, which would widen the two-lane Route 30 into four lanes, involves an 8.5-mile stretch that starts at Harlem Avenue in Frankfort and runs to William Street in New Lenox. Construction is tentatively planned to begin this summer and run through 2012. …

• Photos (1)