March 31, 2025
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New roadway approved off Route 47 to ease traffic in Yorkville’s Bristol Bay

Roadway construction tied into massive Route 47 expansion project

By Joey Weslo
A car turns off Route 47 onto Hydraulic Avenue in downtown Yorkville in his view looking northeast.

(File photo) A car turns off Route 47 onto Hydraulic Avenue in downtown Yorkville in this view looking northeast. Route 47 is undergoing a massive extension project in the Yorkville area that involves widening the roads, reconstructing bridges, and extending the roadway to Sugar Grove. (Mark Foster)

Alleviating traffic congestion exiting the Bristol Bay subdivision took another step forward with the Yorkville City Council approving a much-requested roadway with access to Route 47.

The City Council unanimously passed an engineering agreement for the project during their March 25 meeting.

Yorkville Mayor John Purcell said during the meeting that the project now is just waiting for the Illinois Department Of Transportation to finish their Route 47 widening construction at that section of the roadway.

“This will allow us to connect to Route 47 when that’s completed, which could be a couple years,” Purcell said.

The roadway has been frequently requested by residents of the Bristol Bay subdivision because the neighborhood currently only has one access point to Route 47 off Galena Road.

The city is working with the Illinois Department of Transportation on a massive Route 47 expansion project. The construction overhaul involves two main sections.

On the north end of the project, Route 47 is being expanded from Kennedy Road in Yorkville all the way to Cross Street in Sugar Grove. IDOT is involved in all parts of the project, including widening the intersections at Route 47 and Galena Road.

“This is one we’ve all been waiting for, which is the second connection for Bristol Bay out to Route 47,” Eric Dhuse, public works director, said during a public works meeting. “We’ve been waiting for this a long time and we want to be ahead of IDOT.”

When completed, Route 47 will be expanded, widened, have utilities moved and have pathways and bridges more accessible to pedestrians.

City officials also have been working with IDOT along the southern part of the project which will widen Route 47 from Carpenter Street to Waterpark Way.

The new connection of Bertram Road to Route 47 is part of the Route 47 reconstruction from Waterpark Way to Baseline Road.

The Bristol Bay subdivision currently is home to 207 single-family homes, 220 townhomes and 354 condos.

The new connection will not feature a signalized intersection. The city is approving an engineering agreement with Engineering Enterprises, Inc. for $57,948 to oversee the project.