More Signs That State Will Start Darien Project

DARIEN, IL – A Darien alderwoman said Tuesday she is seeing signs that the state will begin its project to correct what is considered a dangerous curve on North Frontage Road.

In recent days, Alderwoman Mary Sullivan said she spotted a downed fence being repaired and an area near a culvert being cleared.

She was talking about a narrow space between North Frontage Road and the Cass Avenue ramp to southbound Interstate 55.

The problem is particularly severe for eastbound drivers on North Frontage Drive. City officials understand the state will correct the curve on North Frontage Road later this year.

"I'm encouraged by this," Sullivan said at a City Council meeting. It appears the state Department of Transportation is "starting to prepare for the curvature correction on that space."

Then she referred to the fence, which goes down repeatedly.

"I'm not taking bets on how long the fence will stay upright, but I'll be monitoring it," Sullivan said.

"One week," Dan Gombac, the city's municipal services director, shot back.

"I say four days," Sullivan said.

Recently, Gombac told Patch that the state opened bids last month for the curve correction project.

The curve may have been a factor in a 2021 fatal crash.

Early the morning of Sept. 27, 2021, a passerby saw a motorcycle in a ditch between North Frontage Road and the Cass Avenue ramp to southbound Interstate 55. As it turned out, a man and a woman died in a crash.

They were believed to have been heading east on North Frontage Road about 14 hours earlier.