Route 47 Interchange Project: Bidding Opens

The Illinois Tollway is starting the bidding process for the Route 47 interchange project today, marking a milestone for Huntley.

A full interchange at Route 47 and Interstate 90 has been on Huntley official’s wish list for decades. The project, with an estimated cost of $69 million, got the green light in the fall after the tollway passed a $12 billion, 15-year capital program, Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future.

Tollway officials moved up the interchange project from 2014 to this year.

“It’s exciting to think this is happening after all these years,” Village Manager Dave Johnson said.

The project calls for:

• the removal of the two existing ramps;
• construction of six new ramps;
• four all-electronic toll plazas;
• widening and reconstruction of Route 47, Jim Dhamer Drive and Freeman Road;
• reconstruction of the Route 47 bridge.

The Illinois Tollway will have a webcast of the bid opening on its website today, said Kristi Lafleur, the agency’s executive director. There is a banner on the main page and the public can click on it to log onto the webcast, she said.

The process requires that contractors submit sealed bids for general construction work, she said, and the bids are read aloud during the public bid opening meetings. The Illinois Tollway then reviews the bids, and the lowest bid is presented to the board of directors for review and approval. The board will take action on the bids at its March 22 meeting, Lafleur said.

Funding for the $69 million project is split with Illinois Tollway covering half the cost and the Illinois Department of Transportation contributing 25 percent with the remaining split by Huntley, Kane County and McHenry County. Huntley funded $2.5 million for the preliminary design and engineering studies.

The start date on the contract is May and construction will continue until next year.