Buda road repairs expected to begin this year

BUDA — About a month ago, a group of concerned residents in Buda got together to share their frustrations over the deteriorating condition of Route 40, which travels through their village.

The state-governed highway has not undergone any major repairs in the past 24 years, and the pavement is riddled with potholes and uneven surfaces where asphalt patches have crumbled away from wear and tear.

After expressing concerns about flooding on the roadway, the safety of motorists and pedestrians traveling along the route, and the load noises and shaking heavy load vehicles make on the uneven surfaces, the residents decided to take turns calling Illinois Department of Transportation and their local state representatives in an effort to be heard of the need to repair the road.

Their concerns did not fall on deaf ears.

In fact, just a month after the phone calls came ringing through, a decision was made to reprioritize this summer’s projects and move Route 40 repairs to the very top of the list.

Wayne Phillips, IDOT’s program development engineer for District 3 in Ottawa, confirmed after his crew took a second look at the condition of Route 40, they determined something needed to be done.

The plan is to make improvements starting at the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad tracks south of town to the Stark County line. Also there will be intermittent milling and resurfacing done to damaged sections of the roadway between School Street and the BNSF Railroad in the village limits.

Phillips explained repairs on the strip of Route 40 that runs through town will have to wait a year or two. There’s a policy IDOT must follow that says anytime milling takes place on a roadway with crosswalks, the project must update sidewalk ramps to meet requirements associated with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Phillips said this takes time and money.

“I want to repair what I can this year,” Phillips said. “A year or two, we will come back and do the section through Buda up to Route 6, pending we get available funding to do it.”

Construction on this year’s repairs is scheduled to begin this summer and is expected to be completed by fall, weather permitting. Phillips was unable to give a cost estimate of the project, because the bid letting is not until August.

Buda Village Board member Lisa Aber, who spearheaded the Route 40 campaign among residents, said they are happy to see this project being approved this year.

“It’s been too long since this stretch of road has seen some improvement, and it’s much needed,” Aber said.

“Thank you to everyone who rallied together to voice their concerns and helped get this project this far. This was definitely a community project. It’s our hope that our representative, senator and IDOT will continue to work together to help fund further improvements,” she said.