'It's Gonna Be a Bear' — Plainfield Braces for Route 30 Widening

• Read: Plainfield Mayor Highlights Business Boom at State of the Village

One thing he wasn't necessarily looking forward to?

The Illinois Department of Transportation's planned Route 30 improvements, which will widen the road from Route 59 to the I-55 interchange.

"It's gonna be a bear," Collins said of the project, which will likely take nearly two years to complete.

Plainfield Director of Public Works Allen Persons said right now, the project remains in the property acquisition stage. According to IDOT, the project is slated to go out to bid this spring. However, Persons said depending on how long property acquisition takes, bidding may not happen until the summer.

Once contractors are hired, the project is expected to take about 18 months, according to Persons.

In 2012, IDOT officials gave village trustees a preview of the project, estimated to cost $40 million. The project calls for:

• From the west Frontage Road to Renwick Road – Four lanes, plus a two-way left-term lane and a 10-foot-wide multi-use path.
• From Renwick Road to Union Street – Two lanes plus a two-way left-turn lane and an eight-foot-wide multi-use path.
• From Union Street to Route 59 – Two lanes, plus a two-way left-turn lanes, along with an eight-foot-wide sidewalk to the west and a seven-foot-wide sidewalk to the east.

Collins urged residents to have patience once work begins.

"This will be an asset, but we all remember about Route 59," referring to the three-year construction project that created headaches for drivers and businesses along Route 59. That project was finished in July 2011.

Route 30 construction crews will have to work around Plainfield-area wildlife, Collins said. From April to August, no construction will be permitted north of Renwick Road due to breeding season at the Lake Renwick Heron Rookery.

"It will be time well spent," Collins said of the project, "but you're going to have to bear with us."