Road construction on Bell Road in Homer Glen is expected to resume now that Nicor has completed its utility relocation project, Will County officials said.
Work to widen and reconstruct Bell Road from 159th to 151st streets began in spring 2023 but was halted last year when Nicor relocated its gas main to the wrong area, said Jeff Ronaldson, director of the Will County Division of Transportation.
Construction was originally anticipated to be completed by the end of this month, but with utility relocation delays, construction should now wrap up next spring, Ronaldson said.
Homer Glen village officials, however, estimate that because of the significant delays, the targeted completion date is closer to fall or the end of 2025.
A Nicor spokesperson said the utility relocated its gas main in April 2022 to accommodate the road project.
“In Fall 2023, Will County raised concerns that the relocated main was not in the permitted location and would impact storm sewer construction,” Nicor’s Nicole Frett said in an email. “Nicor Gas did not agree that the main was moved to the wrong location, but agreed to further relocate a portion of the new main to under the pavement to avoid impacting the storm sewer construction.”
The relocation work was completed last month, and Nicor said the company will work with Will County to resolve any other issues that may arise.
The $10 million widening will expand Bell Road from one lane in each direction to five lanes, Ronaldson said. Sound walls will also be added.
Construction delays have frustrated local officials.
“It’s not making the progress we would like to see,” said Homer Glen village manager Joe Baber.
Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike said the village regularly asks for construction progress, but the road is a county project.
“We are just as upset as residents,” she said. “It affects our businesses, our residents’ travel times, and schools are opening soon.”
Bell Road can get congested when events take place at Homer Junior High and Hadley Middle School, or when the Megaplex sports and recreation center holds activities, Neitzke-Troike said. The Bengtson’s Pumpkin Farm on 151st Street, just blocks west of Bell Road, also brings in significant traffic during its popular fall festival, she said.
Homer Junior High and Hadley Middle School, with entrances off the Bell Road construction project, are undergoing their own building expansion to be completed in fall 2025, but construction is not expected to affect students when they return Aug. 26, Superintendent Craig Schoppe said.
District officials said parents should expect the same traffic patterns, but a school resource officer will help direct traffic at arrival and dismissal to make it smoother for buses and parents.
Tim Russ, director of building and grounds, said the district regularly gets updates on the Bell Road roadwork from county and village officials, who have addressed any concerns the district has had to keep the entrances to the schools safe.
Will County plans several road improvements along Bell Road in Homer Glen from 159th Street heading north toward the Cook County line. The projects are designed to improve safety and traffic flow and meet the traffic growth of the last decade, Ronaldson said.
Right-of-way acquisition is underway for a $7 million improvement to widen Bell Road to five lanes from 151st Street to Martingale Lane, a project which could start construction next year, Ronaldson said.
Utilities are also being relocated at the intersection of 143rd Street and Bell Road for a $24 million intersection improvement that will add dual left turn lanes on 143rd Street and dual left turn lanes and an additional lane on Bell Road, Ronaldson said. The county secured a federal grant of about $10.4 million to put toward the intersection improvements designed to reduce accidents, Ronaldson said.
That project, which extends about 3/4 mile north of the intersection on Bell Road, is expected to start next spring and be completed in 2027.
“It will be a great improvement for the area,” Ronaldson said.
Homer Glen is also financially contributing to some of the improvements.
The village requested a sidewalk, retaining walls and curb ramp upgrades be installed on the west side of Bell Road from 151st Street to Founders Crossing. The village also requested drainage improvements to resolve a long-standing issue by Martingale Lane. The village plans to contribute about $553,441 for this portion, Baber said.
The village also requested more sidewalks, retaining walls and other upgrades with the 143rd Street and Bell Road intersection improvement segment at a cost of about $659,398.
Neitzke-Troike said she understands the need to widen Bell Road, but some of the county’s other road projects in Homer Glen, including dual left turn lanes at 143rd and Bell, are not necessary or wanted.
The county last year held public meetings to bring Will County Route 1 up to current roadway standards. Homer Glen residents feared a loss of mature trees and increased traffic and wanted to keep the rural route preserved.
The Will County Board in December approved Homer Glen’s request for jurisdiction of sections of Parker Road, Chicago-Bloomington Trail, Hadley Road and 167th Street from U.S. Route 6 to Will-Cook Road. The village assumed control of the corridor in April after the transfer was finalized by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Village officials and residents also protested the county’s plans to widen 143rd Street to five lanes. County Board Republicans filed a lawsuit against County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant in hopes of stopping the widening project. The case is pending in Will County Circuit Court.
Neitzke-Troike said the village, with just under 25,000 residents, has had a stable population since 2009 with no massive construction booms. For the most part, widening roads throughout the village is unnecessary and only invites more traffic, including truck traffic, she said.
“We want to grow at a slow pace,” she said. “What they are painting our canvas to look like is 43,000 residents.”
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
