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Construction for the long-awaited Collins Road extension project near Oswego will get underway next spring.
The $14 million project includes the extension of Collins from Grove Road west to Minkler Road, as well as the complete reconstruction and widening of Minkler from Collins north to Route 71.
The Collins Road intersections with both Grove and Minkler roads are designed as roundabouts.
The circular intersections allow traffic to flow in one direction around a central island, eliminating the need for a traffic signal in a configuration regarded as much safer for motorists.
The Kendall County Board on Dec. 20 approved a $1.45 million contract with HR Green, Inc. of Aurora to provide engineering services and construction oversight for the project.
Most of the project’s cost is being financed with state and federal funds, with the remainder coming from county resources.
The county is expected to let bids for construction on the project in March of 2023, Kendall County Highway Engineer Fran Klaas said, with construction to start in May.
The work is expected to take two construction seasons, with completion in 2024.
From Grove to Minkler, the Collins extension runs 1.77 miles, Klaas said. A double box culvert will carry the roadway over Morgan Creek.
The Minkler reconstruction, nearly one mile, will involve widening the roadway from its current 22 feet to 54 feet, allowing for a bi-directional turn lane, Klaas said.
The County Board has used eminent domain to obtain some of the land needed for the project.
The Collins Road extension will provide an important link for motorists.
Minkler Road, which originates as the southern leg of the intersection at Orchard Road and Route 71, extends south to Route 126.
The Collins extension will end at Minkler, but the roundabout will be constructed with four legs, allowing for the eventual extension of Collins to Route 71, which runs on a southwest trajectory from the Orchard-Minkler intersection.
Initially, the roundabout’s fourth leg to the west will be closed off.
Roundabouts are beginning to figure prominently in the county’s transportation system.
A roundabout has been constructed at Eldamain and Fox roads west of Yorkville, as part of the Eldamain Road bridge project.
Motorists are directed to slow down but do not need to stop in a roundabout, instead driving along the curving roadway until reaching the desired exit point.
In modern roundabouts, traffic already in the circle is given the right of way.
Roundabouts are credited for reducing both the number and severity of vehicle crashes compared with standard intersections, virtually eliminating head-on and T-bone collisions.