The Oak Book Village Board has approved the expenditure of $460,000 for resurfacing and widening of the Bath & Tennis drive.
The roadway is approximately 0.4 of a mile long and is used primarily to access the Oak Brook Bath & Tennis Club facilities, including the pool, courts, and clubhouse building itself.
Tim O’Malley, the village’s interim public works director, said four bids were received for the project, with the lowest responsible bidder, Chicagoland Paving Contractor, Inc., of Lake Zurich, being awarded the job for its estimated total project cost of $460,000. That amount is $40,000 less than the $500,000 budgeted for the work.
Included in the project are hot-mix asphalt surface removal, hot-mix asphalt base course widening with hot-mix asphalt binder and surface course installation, plane cement concrete shoulder construction, concrete curb and gutter and sidewalk construction, pavement markings and grading and landscaping.
The existing pavement was slightly modified and overlaid with new pavement approximately 20 to 25 years ago, Village Manager Greg Summers said.
“Like all roads and access drives in the village, the pavement has a limited lifespan and requires updating,” he said. “The surface condition is worn with potholes and other defects, and the village has received complaints about its condition.
“Now that the village has a true five-year capital improvement plan, backed by profitable Sports Core operations, the village finally has a revenue stream and plan to address infrastructure that was previously deferred due to lack of funding.”
Summers said village staff and officials have routinely received comments about how narrow the drive is and the resulting difficulty in passing in today’s larger vehicles.
“The Bath & Tennis drive pavement is a rural section, with open ditches and no curb to hold the edge of the pavement from unraveling,” he said.
“The solution to both of these issues is to add a flat curb, sometimes known as a ribbon curb, which will add 18 inches to either side of the pavement, retain the edge for enhanced longevity, and provide a contrast that helps outlines the edge of the pavement.”
Summers said Monday that no precise start date has yet been determined, but the work is expected to be completed before the pool opens on Memorial Day weekend.
The drive will be closed during the construction project to facilitate more expeditious reconstruction, but all of the Bath and Tennis facility amenities will be accessible via Polo Drive, 800 feet east of Bath and Tennis Drive at all times, he said.
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
