Preservation Commission Says Proposed Bridge Site Should Be Historic Landmark

Residents looking to put a halt to a proposed bridge connecting Naperville and Bolingbrook received a bit of good news from the Will County Historic Preservation Commission Wednesday.

Members of the commission said the area of land between the ends of 95^th Street in Naperville and Kings Road in Bolingbrook should get consideration as an historic landmark.

The commission’s action could complicate Bolingbrook’s and Naperville’s plan to build the .

The commissioners voted 4-3 during a public hearing, where more than a dozen residents from Bolingbrook voiced their concerns for the project.

Virginia Perry, the commission’s chairwoman, said the commission could only discuss the historical significance of the site and not the building of the bridge. That means the vote has no real ability to alter plans— Forest Preserve District board member Jackie Traynere said the extension likely would still be built because the plans and funding are already in place.

The vote does give opponents a point to rally behind.

David Bond, the Bolingbrook resident who submitted the landmark nomination, said archaeological surveys that officials say yielded no substantial artifacts were too small.

“There could be more there,” he said. “Sure this is not Giza, but at the same time, do we just ignore what we have because it’s not as cool?”

Other residents echoed Bond’s claims and urged the commission to investigate the site again, particularly because Bolingbrook lacks historical sites.

“I feel sad that in Bolingbrook there’s no connection to history,” said David Gillham, a Bolingbrook resident and historian.

The Will County Board will consider the nomination at its next meeting.

And although the county board can vote either way, the commission’s brings the site closer to being considered a Bolingbrook landmark. 

“I think it’s good that the potential to leave a mark of past history visible for people to see is there,” Traynere said.