Palos Park officials are crossing their fingers that the 123rd Street water main project will be completed in mid-November.
But that’s in the Illinois Department of Transportation’s hands.
Since June 24, the street has been closed from Elm Street to 93rd Ave. IDOT will replace two culverts to provide stability to the roadway over creek crossings.
First, the village had to do some work to prepare for the IDOT portion of the project and Public Works and Streets Commissioner Rebecca Petan said at the July 14 village council meeting that everything is running smoothly from the village’s part of the project.
“The village has to relocate their water main in each location,” she said. “The water main relocation west of 93rd Avenue is complete.”
Mayor Nicole Milovich Walters said that the work done by Joliet-based Airy’s Construction, Inc. has been swift.
“In a little over a week, Airy’s was able to lower the water main on one side of the street, allowing us to move to the other side of the street, where we are now,” the mayor said. “It will take a little over a week to lower that one and our part of our project is done.
“We wanted to make sure that we got our part done so that that state can come in and do all of the things they need to do to support the culvert that runs under the street.”
The council approved the first invoice for the project of $206,000 to Airy’s. The village’s cost in the relocation is $699,000.
Officials said that they are hoping IDOT will be able to swoop in and continue work when the village’s part of the project is complete.
“We’re really pleased with our contractor and how quickly they are accomplishing that so that this project can get underway with IDOT,” Milovich-Walters said.
According to a village news release, access to the road will be allowed for residents living in the area but the village advises residents to proceed with caution and to watch out for construction activities.
Library Board reappointment
The council reappointed Terry Kachinsky as a trustee of the library board. His term will expire June 1, 2029.
See you in August
The July 28 village council meeting has been cancelled. The next time the council meetsa is Aug. 11.
