Route 64 Reconstruction in St. Charles Ready to Kick into Full Gear

Construction along the East Main Street/Route 64 corridor is gearing up to get into full swing during a week in which construction crews have closed lanes and redirected others in preparation for the final season of the $49 million reconstruction project.

St. Charles Public Works Engineering Manager James Bernahl, in an email to residents and businesses on Thursday, said this week’s work largely has involved getting crews and equipment back to the construction site in preparation for the work that lies ahead.

Here’s a breakdown of what to expect:

38th Avenue to Route 59

Beginning Thursday, Bernahl wrote, the contractor was slated to begin removing asphalt grindings forming the temporary shoulders along Smith and Kautz roads. That will make way for their replacement with new concrete roadways as the weather improves in the coming weeks. He said the contractor wants to start that work as quickly as possible.

Beginning Monday, April 1, 2013, the contractor plans to begin the breaking and removing some of the remaining roadway sections. The work, Bernahl wrote, is expected to be ongoing for the next few weeks in preparation for the placement of the new concrete roadway.

The installation of a new storm sewer across Powis Road is planned to begin April 5 and, weather permitting, should be completed in a week, he wrote. The Illinois Department of Transportation, Bernahl wrote, wants to reopen the full Powis Road intersection as quickly as possible, although that date remains uncertain.

Construction associated with a new bridge near Powis Road is expected to continue through the next few months. The bridge’s completion is expected by mid-July 2013.

7th Avenue to Kirk Road

This work was scheduled to resume Monday, with the contractor reinstalling message boards announcing the expected start of work, which will reduce the roadway to two lanes of traffic on the south side of East Main Street. Installation of traffic control devices also was expected this week, to reduce the lanes of travel to two lanes.

The completion of that work was expected to trigger the efforts to begin removing the roadway on the north side beginning near 7th Avenue and East Main Street and moving east from there. When the roadway has been removed, Bernahl wrote, the contractor will begin the necessary storm sewer upgrade work, much of which was completed in the 2012 season.

Finally, Bernahl said the contractor this week was expected to begin excavating and placing stone for temporary driveway entrances between Fieldgate Drive and Tyler Road. That work was to start Monday. Access to driveways and properties will be maintained at all times during construction activities, he wrote.

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