With three road construction projects underway or getting ready to start, a busy Dundee Avenue in Elgin is about to get a lot more difficult to navigate.
The city is gearing up for a year-long, $6.76 million rebuilding of Dundee that will start at Enterprise Street, north of Summit Street, and end at Page Avenue.
In addition to laying four new 11-foot-wide lanes, the plan calls for the installation of new sidewalks, curbs and gutters, storm sewer, water main and water service lines, enhanced street lighting and upgraded traffic signals at Dundee and Slade avenues.
“Utility relocations have been completed, and construction has officially started on Dundee Avenue,” Public Services Director Mike Pubentz said.
Last week, the contractor started “installing advance warning traffic control signage and changeable message signs as well as setting up temporary signal installation at the intersection of Slade Avenue and Dundee Avenue,” he said.
Northbound Dundee Avenue traffic will be maintained during the project, but southbound traffic will be detoured east on Page, south on Liberty Street and west on Summit back to Dundee, Pubentz said.
There will be times when access to Dundee Avenue will be restricted to local traffic only, he added. Signage and flaggers will be in place to guide vehicles when that happens, he said.
Pace bus routes 543 and 603 also will be affected. Riders should go to www.pacebus.com/notice for route changes.
Construction was to have started in March, but “utility relocation work took longer than expected,” Pubentz said.
If all goes according to plan, the project should be completed by October 2026.
Last month, the Illinois Department of Transportation started resurfacing work on Dundee Avenue from Page Avenue through Interstate 90. The $2.8 million project, in addition to laying 1.1 miles of new asphalt, includes the curb repairs and installation of new traffic signals and ADA-compliant sidewalk ramps.
As motorists already know, the work is resulting traffic delays that are expected to continue through late November, officials said. Any work not finished before winter will be completed in spring 2026.
IDOT is urging drivers to allow extra time to get through the area or to find alternative routes. There will be flaggers, work signs, construction equipment and reduced speed limits through the stretch being redone, officials said.
Traffic and road conditions can be found at www.gettingaroundillinois.com.
The third project begins Tuesday, Sept. 16, when the eastbound ramp at the Dundee Avenue/I-90 interchange is closed so crews can remove existing barrier walls and install new toll infrastructure.
Motorists will be detoured to Route 72 and Beverly Road before being able to access to I-90. No information on how long the work will take was available.
Up-to-date information can be found on the Tollway website, illinoistollway.com, under the Daily Construction Alert.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.