The Illinois Department of Transportation has given the go-ahead for Brookfield to launch a $725,000 effort to develop a preliminary plan for making over the Ogden Avenue corridor – easily the largest single public infrastructure project undertaken in living memory.
Construction, if funding for the improvements is identified, would not begin before at least the fall of 2027, but the firm chosen to lead the planning project, Civiltech Engineering, will introduce the study to the public at a booth at the Intelligentsia Cup bicycle race between 4 and 7 p.m. at the race’s Expo Center in the parking lot of the Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library at Lincoln Avenue and Grand Boulevard.
Residents can get a sense of the project’s timeline, sign up for project updates and notifications about public meetings.
There’s also a project website where residents can track the progress at
energizeogden.org.
“This study is an opportunity to reimagine Ogden Avenue as a multimodal transportation corridor, as a hub for community activity and as a catalyst for neighborhood economic development,” said Michael J. Folkening, director of urban design and traffic for Civiltech Engineering, in an email to the Landmark.
“The project team will facilitate a process that both builds upon previous engagement efforts and engages community members on the process moving forward to become active participants in determining how to continue energizing Ogden Avenue to reflect the community and its needs.”
Last November, the Brookfield Village Board approved hiring Civiltech to complete what’s known as Phase I engineering for the Ogden Avenue corridor. The village is funding the bulk of the $725,000 cost for Phase I engineering with a $500,000 federal grant administered through the West Central Municipal Conference, of which Brookfield is a member.
The engineering study will be comprehensive, with the final project aiming to transform the mile-long stretch of Ogden Avenue in Brookfield by addressing every aspect of the public infrastructure – from sidewalks, driveways and the roadway to new storm sewers and water mains as well as streetscape elements such as decorative pavers and crosswalks, benches, landscaping, lighting and gateway signage.
The plan will be informed by the Energize Ogden master plan, adopted by the village board in 2022.
“This will be one of the biggest projects ever done in Brookfield,” said Village Engineer Derek Treichel.
Over the next four months, Civiltech will be collecting data, looking at existing conditions and exploring design alternatives. Civiltech will also hold meetings with Ogden Avenue stakeholders, including business and property owners as well as community groups, particularly ones focused on transportation.
In December, Civiltech has tentatively scheduled the first of two public information meetings, where the existing conditions and concept designs will be presented for feedback.
During the time period, Civiltech also expects to conduct a public survey to gain additional feedback on design concepts presented at the public meeting.
By spring 2024, Civiltech is expected to choose a preferred alternative, which it will submit to IDOT for review. That fall, Civiltech will host the second public information meeting to outline the preferred alternative, its impacts and next steps. There will also be an opportunity to provide feedback at that time.
Civiltech expects the Phase I design to be completed by late fall 2024, with approval from IDOT coming in spring 2025.
Next steps – final engineering design, right-of-way acquisition and construction – will depend on obtaining additional federal funding.
