Route 3 project moving along in Waterloo
Work is progressing on the widening of Route 3 and other highway improvements in Waterloo as the project remains on schedule to be completed by the end of 2016.
Illinois Department of Transportation engineers said the current plan is to shift the southbound lane to the west onto the new widening in the project area by the end of August.
Once that shift is made, IDOT said, the northbound lane will stay where it is for an additional two weeks. This will allow paving work in the middle and vehicle traffic will be divided around the work area.
When the paving of the middle is complete — approximately in mid-September — the northbound lane will also be shifted to the west onto the new widening.
The contractor, Illinois Excavators of Ruma, will then begin on the widening of the east side of Route 3, IDOT said.
As for the roundabout to be installed outside of the Monroe County Farm Bureau office on Route 156 at Lakeview Drive, IDOT said that work will probably take place next year. Installation of a new stoplight at Illinois Avenue near the ambulance garage will also take place next year as part of this project, IDOT said.
In total, the entire Waterloo Route 3 improvement project involves four miles of roadway from North Market Street to South Market Street at a cost of $21.2 million. The relocation of Vandebrook Drive to connect with South Market as part of the project was already completed last summer.
The current two-lane highway is being reconstructed into a four-lane thoroughfare with turn lanes or medians installed as required.
Other features include a 10-foot-wide shared use path for walkers and bicyclists which includes an underpass just north of Library Street.
Regarding this pedestrian tunnel, workers began to drive sheet pile in early December and began excavating in mid-December. The floor was poured in January and the walls were poured in mid-February. The top portion of the tunnel was poured in June, according to IDOT.
For more on IDOT’s Route 3 improvement project, visit online at www.idot.illinois.gov/projects/il-3-project.
