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Current Status
Project Description
Public Involvement
Background
Current Status (Last Updated February 9, 2012)
The north alignment for the proposed improvements to the underpass was approved by the Illinois Department of Transportation in their preliminary engineering report.
Agencies are planning to begin preparation of the detailed design and acquiring the necessary easements or right-of-way in the near future. In 2012, the City of Naperville and our partner agencies are continuing to seek federal funding for construction. More information will be posted here on the project when it becomes available.
Project Description
Proposed improvements to the North Aurora Road Underpass at the EJ&E/BNSF consist of widening and replacing the existing railroad bridge to accommodate two traffic lanes in each direction, a bicycle path, a pedestrian sidewalk, and drainage enhancements. Accommodations for improvements needed for the future STAR Line Commuter will also be considered.
A preliminary engineering was conducted to evaluate various alignments to accomplish these improvements, while studying the potential impacts to the environment, access points, right-of-way needs, highway and railroad geometric constraints, drainage considerations, and soil conditions.
Public Involvement
The cities of Naperville, Aurora and Naperville Township hosted a public open house in 2009 to obtain community input on two proposed projects:
- Preliminary alignments for roadway widening and improvements on North Aurora Road between Frontenac Road and Weston Ridge Drive (just west of Illinois Route 59).
- The recommended alignment for the widening and improvement of the North Aurora Road underpass at the EJ&E/CN railroad tracks
Background
The cities of Naperville and Aurora and Naperville Township have experienced tremendous growth over the past several decades which has served as a challenge to both cities’ transportation systems. Although the EJ&E and BNSF Railway lines offer valuable freight and commuter transit services, they also form a physical barrier that prohibits the movement of automobiles, bicyclists and pedestrians between the two communities.
Feasibility studies have been performed with the goal of making improvements to the EJ&E/BNSF crossing as well as others to minimize the disturbance of traffic flow and maximize safety at all railroad crossings.
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