Illinois 47 Widening Project Creates, Retains 300 Jobs

HUNTLEY - Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig, joined by local officials, announced that the two-year Illinois 47 reconstruction and widening will approach the halfway mark at the end of the month. The project, made possible through Gov. Pat Quinn’s Illinois Jobs Now! capital program, will create or retain 300 jobs.

“The public will see the benefits of the new roadway through quicker travel times and improved safety measures in one more year,” Hannig said. “But the benefits in job growth and economic development will continue for years afterward.”

Construction started in March on the $23.8 million effort to expand 2.5 miles of Illinois 47 to two lanes in each direction between Reed and Kreutzer roads in Huntley. The project was financed through a mix of local, state and federal dollars. The federal portion was leveraged through the governor’s six-year, $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! plan.

Illinois 47 carries more than 20,000 vehicles a day. When IDOT is finished in November 2011, the road will be reconstructed to four lanes with dedicated turn lanes and modernized traffic signals at Reed Road, Main Street, Algonquin Road and Kruetzer Road. The traffic signals will be interconnected and synchronized to allow for reduced travel times. The old bridge carrying Illinois 47 over the Kishwaukee River will be replaced with a new culvert. 

At the request of the village, ornamental street lighting will be added through Huntley. The village and the state also cooperated to replace water and sanitary sewer lines and relocate a sewage pumping station.   

For more information about other road construction in IDOT’s District One, visit www. http://www.dot.state.il.us/road/update.html.