Manhattan residents didn’t get any tricks from Manhattan Township this Halloween; the completely reconstructed Baker Road was opened for traffic on October 31, one day ahead of schedule.
Residents have been eagerly awaiting its opening, growing tired of detours. The road was closed to through traffic from east of Rt. 52 and west of Eastern Avenue.
“Like any road in Will County — our infrastructure is so fragile — when you close one road for repairs, it puts a load on another road,” Manhattan Township Road Commissioner Jim “J.B.” Baltas said.
“I’m just glad it’s finally open,” Baltas added.
The former single-lane bridge had become so dilapidated that simply repairing the old bridge wasn’t feasible. For years, Baltas explained, he worried about people sliding down the hill, which was often covered in snow and ice in the winter, and crashing into the concrete walls of the bridge.
“It’s going to be a lot safer for the traveling public with the hill, with how steep it was with snow and ice accumulations. That was always a concern of mine,” Baltas said.
The hill was graded to be less steep, and some trees were removed to allow the sun to activate ice melt.
The now two-lane bridge will allow both lanes of traffic to pass through, where previously drivers had to pay attention and yield to oncoming traffic. As traffic increased over the years, some found themselves playing chicken with oncoming traffic.
The bridge also would flood during heavy rains, Baltas explained. Widening the bridge improved drainage and the water flow of Jackson Creek, over which the bridge runs.
“It’s just going to make traffic flow that much better,” Baltas explained.
The project was announced last fall, with construction beginning this past spring.
Baltas explained he had been working on it since 2014, when he and now-retired WDOT Director Bruce Gould began securing federal funding. Baltas expressed immense gratitude to Gould for guiding him through that process and getting the funding they needed.
The federal grant was awarded on February 17, 2015, but completing the necessary engineering studies and dealing with challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic slowed things down. Baltas explained it was a long process, but he was grateful the township was able to complete it for residents.
The $3.2 million project was paid for primarily through federal funding, with the federal government footing 80 percent of the cost and the Manhattan Township Road District and Will County Department of Transportation splitting the remaining 20 percent in half.
Reconstructing the bridge was a project Baltas had long wanted to accomplish, though he was quick to share its success with all who were involved in making it happen. Baltas expressed gratitude to the Ciorba Group engineers, Will County Department of Transportation’s Jeff Ronaldson, and the Manhattan Township Board.
He also had a special thank-you to the Township Clerk, Kelly Baltas.
“If it wasn’t for her, there’s so much paperwork, I’d still be trying to fill it out. She was such a big help — huge, huge help,” Jim Baltas noted.
Thankfully for Manhattan residents, it all got done, and now they can safely travel down Baker Road and over the newly constructed bridge.
“It’s a great day in Manhattan Township!” Baltas said.
Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.