The village of Brookfield has permanently given up some of its land to avoid delaying the Burlington Avenue improvements project.
At its Feb. 26 meeting, the Brookfield village board approved an agreement with electric utility provider Commonwealth Edison for a permanent 10-foot-wide easement at Creekside Park. ComEd will use the land to house an underground utility conduit that currently conflicts with proposed plans for the Burlington Avenue improvements project, which aims to improve the roadway, sewer and water main along that street this year.
As it is today, the ComEd conduit sits underground at the intersection of Burlington Avenue and Grove Avenue. The conduit’s location conflicts with the proposed location of a new four-foot-deep storm sewer. The easement will be located at 8820 Burlington Ave. along the western property line of Creekside Park. An internal village memo described the granting of the easement to ComEd as “vital” in keeping the Burlington Avenue project on schedule.
As of Feb. 27, Brookfield has closed Creekside Park to the public until further notice for crews to install the storm sewer, which involves dismantling the park’s fencing and playground structures. In a Tweet, the village said the park will reopen to the public this summer once construction is complete.
Village officials have said they expect construction for the Burlington Avenue improvements to begin in March, with possible traffic disruptions beginning this spring and continuing into the fall. While the project will cost $5.8 million in total, Brookfield will pay at most $2.5 million and possibly as low as $950,000 toward it. The improvements will include varied roadway reconstruction and resurfacing on Burlington Avenue from Dubois Boulevard to Grove Avenue, as well as reconstruction on Dubois Boulevard from Ogden Avenue to Burlington Avenue. A new storm sewer outlet to Salt Creek is also expected to be installed from Maple Avenue. Intersection crossings will also see improved accessibility and some portions of the sidewalks will be replaced.
The Burlington Avenue project is not the only street improvement project Brookfield hopes to tackle this year. The village is also looking to improve portions of Fairview Avenue, Madison Avenue and Morton Avenue by repairing sections of the sewer, replacing curbs and sidewalks and resurfacing and patching pavement alongside accessibility and other improvements.
