Batavia is set to start a “road diet” project on its section of Route 31 as early as Monday, officials have announced.
The project will reconfigure Route 31, also called Batavia Avenue, from a four-lane road with two lanes in each direction to a three-lane road with one lane in each direction and a central turn lane, according to a Batavia news release.
City officials said in the release that the project was designed to improve traffic flow, reduce crashes and make it safer for pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the road.
The road will be reconfigured between its intersections with Fabyan Parkway to the north and Mooseheart Road to the south, the release said.
However, the stretch of road through downtown, from Houston Street to Elm Street, will not be included in this first phase of the project, according to the release. Batavia City Administrator Laura Newman said the Illinois Department of Transportation will consider whether the change is also possible in this area.
The city began considering the road diet project after it starting looking for ways to make crossings across Route 31 safer for pedestrians and cyclists, she said.
“In 2014, the city had installed some rapid-flashing crossing beacons at intersections that were popular for pedestrians and cyclists,” Newman said. “Even after those were installed, we still experienced near misses happening between motor vehicles and pedestrians and cyclists at exactly those points, and so we looked for additional means of making everyone safe on that road.”
That stretch of road has also seen a number of traffic accidents over the past few years. Last year, two bicyclists were hit within weeks of each other, one of which died and the other of which, a teenage boy, was critically injured, she said.
Route 31’s lanes are also narrow and do not meet current road construction standards, according to Newman. With the safety concerns and the narrow lanes, the road looked like a “very good opportunity” for a road diet project, she said.
The project is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, the news release said. However, Newman said that, weather permitting, the city is hoping all of the striping can be completed in 12 days.
According to the release, city contractor Superior Striping will start by removing existing pavement markings using water blasting and then will remove the raised reflective pavement markers. Next, work crews will apply temporary striping before permanent pavement markings are installed, the release said.
Once the permanent markings are in place, new raised pavement markers will be installed, city officials said in the release.
At least one lane of traffic will remain open in each direction during construction, according to the release. However, officials said drivers should expect delays and are encouraged to budget extra travel time or seek alternate routes.
The project will cost a total of $1.3 million over the next three years, according to the city’s webpage about the project. Newman said the majority of those funds would come from a $1 million grant awarded to the city through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program.
Batavia City Council chose Superior Striping as the project’s contractor last month, according to Newman. But, she said council members have been asking for this project for years.
The city first approached the Illinois Department of Transportation about the road diet project in 2016, but the state agency turned the city down, Newman said.
Through the years, city staff kept asking for permission to do the project, she said. Between those requests, a feasibility study for the project completed by the city and the number of crashes taking place on the road, the Department of Transportation finally granted the city a permit to do the work this year, she said.
The Route 31 Road Diet project will have four primary benefits, according to the city’s webpage dedicated to the project.
First, the project will reduce the number of crashes along the road. Engineering contractor TranSystems estimated a 27% reduction in collisions after the project is completed, the webpage says.
The project will also improve walkability along the road, since there are fewer lanes for pedestrians and cyclists to cross, according to the webpage. Traffic will also be located further from the sidewalk, the webpage says.
By reducing the number of lanes, traffic will be calmer along the road, leading to more regulated speeds and more consistent traffic flow, according to the webpage.
Finally, the road diet will allow for easier access to homes, schools and businesses along Route 31, the webpage says.
Newman said some residents are concerned that the road diet will cause traffic congestion, but that examples of road diets completed around the country show that fears of increased traffic congestion are “usually unfounded.” Also, drivers are currently not comfortable being side-by-side on Route 31 because of the narrow roads, so they often drive one behind the other or at an offset, which is similar to being in a straight like, which is how they will drive when the road diet is complete, according to Newman.
She said the advantage of the road diet in this situation is that drivers will be further away from other cars, reducing the points of potential impact with one another.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
