Western Avenue’s railroad crossing in Geneva is set to close Oct. 7 as construction continues on Union Pacific’s Third Main Line project, city officials have announced.
As construction operations move to Western Avenue, the Third Street railroad crossing that has been closed since mid-August is set to reopen on Oct. 4, according to a news release from the city of Geneva.
The Western Avenue railroad crossing is expected to be closed for five weeks, which is subject to change based on weather or other construction delays, officials said in the release.
The official detour around the construction will direct drivers heading north on Western Avenue to travel west on Fabyan Parkway, north on Randall Road, east on Kaneville Road, south on Gary Lane and east on South Street, the release said. Drivers heading south will be directed to take the reverse route, officials said.
Drivers can also use Third Street or Route 31 to bypass the tracks, according to the release.
Outside of the railroad crossing, Western Avenue will stay open to drivers on both sides of the train tracks along with all nearby side streets and the Geneva Park District’s Sunset Community Center, officials said in the release.
In March, Union Pacific work crews closed down the nearby Route 31 underpass, but that underpass has been reopened since August, according to previous reporting.
The Third Main Line Project, which started in 2022 and is expected to be completed by late 2024, is to build a third railroad line near the current UP-West railway tracks from West Chicago through Geneva, according to a page on Geneva’s webpage about the project.
Union Pacific hopes the project will smooth railroad traffic and reduce conflicts between the freight and Metra trains that share the line, the city’s webpage said.
The project is also expected to reduce wait times at railroad crossings, decrease both commuter and freight train delays, decrease the idling of freight trains, reduce train congestion and improve safety, a fact sheet about the project said.
The rail line has more than 50 freight trains a day and 60 Metra trains carrying around 30,000 passengers daily, making it one of the busiest in the country, according to the fact sheet.
For more project information, go to the city’s webpage about the Third Main Line Project at geneva.il.us/905/Union-Pacific-Third-Main-Line-Project
