Fall 24 OP Newsletter

ROAD WORK

143RD STREET WIDENING PROJECT The purpose of this project is to reconstruct and widen 143rd Street from two lanes to five lanes, with a multi-purpose path on the north side, to accommodate increasing travel demand and address safety concerns related to recurring flooding problems. 143rd Street from Will Cook Road to Southwest Highway is the last remaining portion of the street that does not already have two travel lines in each direction and/or isn’t funded for reconstruction. The project is divided into three separate sections: Will Cook Road to Wolf Road: This section of the project will widen 143rd Street from a two lane road to a five-lane road with a center left-turn lane to provide additional vehicular flow and capacity. New traffic signals will be installed at Creek Crossing Drive. Final design engineering has been taken as far as possible. The project needs construction funding, so a construction date has not been determined at this time. Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) does not approve final design engineering until construction funding is secured. Construction is estimated to cost $15 million dollars. To encourage IDOT to fund this project, the Village has offered a “Jurisdiction Transfer” (JT) to IDOT after they complete the project. JT allows municipalities to take over ownership and maintenance of the roadway in perpetuity after IDOT completes the improvements at their expense.

Wolf Road to West Avenue: Final design engineering began in late 2023. In 2024 the Village once again submitted RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) and TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) grant applications requesting approximately $25 million dollars in funding. The Village has committed its own funds for any remaining gaps in funding.

West Avenue to Southwest Highway: Construction funding is secured with over $6 million dollars committed by the Village. The total estimated construction cost is $14 million dollars. Design engineering of this section is underway and construction is expected to begin in 2026.

| Fall 2024 | orlandpark.org

8