While road construction scattered around Brookfield this summer could cause a few local headaches, motorists may want to avoid the area around the intersection of Ogden Avenue and LaGrange Road, where a major road improvement project is scheduled to kick off on April 17.
Work is expected to last into November, said LaGrange Public Works Director Ryan Gillingham, and lane restrictions throughout the project are likely to make already heavy rush hour backups even worse.
While roads are not expected to be completely closed at any time, according to Gillingham, traffic in the construction zone will be limited to one land in each direction.
“We recommend that motorists select alternative routes to avoid the anticipated congestion at this intersection,” Gillingham wrote in a letter to residents and business owners in March.
The project is a cooperative effort involving LaGrange, the Illinois Department of Transportation and developers of the Uptown residential development on the northeast corner of Ogden Avenue and LaGrange Road.
Because an expected increase in vehicular and pedestrian traffic linked to the new 254-unit luxury residential development, plans call for several changes to the configuration of the roadways in the area, particularly along Ogden Avenue east of LaGrange Road.
Included in the plan is a new right hand-only turn lane from westbound Ogden Avenue onto northbound LaGrange Road, which should reduce backups during rush hours.
“A lot of traffic can queue in that area, so [westbound] traffic gets stuck,” Gillingham said of the right turn lane. “That’s what this is intended to help.”
Corners at LaGrange and Ogden will be reconfigured to allow trucks greater ease to make turns, which should also help move traffic through the intersection.
Farther east on Ogden Avenue, plans call for reconfiguring the entrance to the commuter parking lot/Gordon Park, which forces eastbound cars to veer left across oncoming traffic and forces westbound cars essentially to make a U-turn onto the access drive, which is called Locust Avenue.
The new entrance to the parking lot/park will be perpendicular to Ogden Avenue. Plans call for a new pedestrian crosswalk and the newly configured intersection will be controlled by a traffic light.
The right hand-only turn lane for northbound LaGrange Road will begin tapering just west of the new Locust Avenue location.
Other improvements that are part of the project include installation of a new storm sewer along Ogden Avenue, new street lights, new traffic signals at LaGrange and Ogden, new sidewalks on the north side of Ogden Avenue between LaGrange Road and the commuter parking lot and street pavement resurfacing.
