Route 47 widening: Woodstock’s share of cost is about $16M. Will the city need to borrow to pay it?

The Route 47 widening in Woodstock is imminent,but the city is mulling whether to take on debt to cover its share of project-related expenses.

While the roadwork is being led by the Illinois Department of Transportation, Woodstock is on the hook for millions of dollars of water main and sanitary sewer line relocation and streetscape work.

[ What you need to know about Route 47 widening in Woodstock – and those roundabouts ]

Woodstock will need to reimburse IDOT about $16.7 million for those costs, about $13.2 million of which is for the utility relocations.

City officials have been asking the state for $10 million to help cover their costs. Local Republican lawmakers including Sen. Craig Wilcox and Rep. Steve Reick have been working on those efforts, according to city documents.

[ Woodstock braces for start of two-year Route 47 widening ]

Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Foster also put in for $3 million for the project, but the funding would need to be included in a federal budget that passes, according to city documents. Those dollars would go toward the utility relocation work.

The city is also seeking separate state funding in the form of an Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program grant.

“This funding is limited to assist enhancements and upgrades to the project, such as landscaping, lighting, stamped concrete, and parkway improvements,” according to city documents.

That award, if the city gets it, would max out at about $2.5 million and require a roughly $950,000 match from the city. And the timing is less than ideal, as Woodstock would find out if it got the grant after it has to approve an agreement with IDOT to pay the city’s expenses.

The city has saved up motor fuel tax dollars, and city officials anticipate they will have $4.2 million in the fund at the end of fiscal year 2026. About $1.68 million of that is Rebuild Illinois dollars.

In a “worst case scenario” in which none of the grants or other funding streams materialize, city officials anticipate Woodstock would need to take on roughly $11.1 million of debt, with a bonds being fully paid off in 2052. But the scenario assumes the city council would support using the motor fuel tax funds for the utility relocations.

Following some preparatory work, road construction is set to begin this spring and last about two years. After that, Route 47 will be two lanes in each direction from Route 14 to Route 120. Work on the northern leg stretching from Route 120 to Charles Road hasn’t been funded.

The Route 47 expenses come as Woodstock could soon have to significantly invest in water infrastructure if new regulations require less phosphorus in wastewater, according to city documents.

Woodstock leaders have to move ahead with an agreement with IDOT for the project to proceed, according to city documents. The agreement on the table proposes that Woodstock pay its share to the state over seven years interest-free, starting May 1, 2026, according to city documents. If Woodstock issues bonds, the last ones could be paid off in 2052, according to city documents.

The city council is taking up the issue Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 121 W. Calhoun Street.