Woodstock close to finalizing lower cost Route 47 widening project streetscape plans

With the Route 47 widening project getting closer in Woodstock, the city is finalizing the new landscape and lighting designs for the stretch, which could cost about $3.5 million less than the city originally planned.

Woodstock’s City Council is expected to hear another presentation on the new designs at its meeting Tuesday, where members will give both city staff and McHenry-based consultant HR Green direction on any final tweaks to the plan.

The timeline in place calls for plans to be submitted to the Illinois Department of Transportation in July.

Design plans call for various decorative landscaping and lighting features, as well as three roundabouts and four medians to be installed along the stretch of Route 47 between Route 14 and Route 120, according to city documents.

At a meeting on May 31, the City Council received the first presentation on the designs in over a year, but requested the cost be reduced by as much as $2 million.

To reduce the cost, some ideas to be pitched at Tuesday’s meeting include replacing colored stamped concrete, and offering alternatives for lighting.

HR Green’s newest proposal is expected to range from between $3.9 million to a little under $4.2 million total, according to city documents.

At the meeting in May, the proposed sticker price was about $6.4 million, with Mayor Michael Turner requesting to reduce that to a price ranging from $4.5 and $5.5 million.

Originally, the city put aside about $7.6 million, paid over the next two years, to fund the project. The majority of it, $5.7 million, was planned to be new debt. The remainder would predominantly come from funds doled out through the state’s Rebuild Illinois capital plan.

To pair with the project’s cost, the city’s operating budget would need to increase by as much as $76,000 annually to fund the anticipated maintenance once the widening project is complete, according to city documents.

The Route 47 widening is a project that will see two lanes added to the stretch between routes 14 and 120 with the goal being to reduce traffic congestion.

It will be funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation, costing about $58 million. IDOT is planning to bid out the project in June 2023, according to city documents.

The streetscape designs are part of IDOT’s plan and process leading up to the start of the project, Turner said earlier this month.

Concepts for the streetscape designs date back to January 2021, when Woodstock was presented with three different tiers, including basic, mid-tier and high-tier designs. Turner said earlier this month the city will likely land on a mid-tier design.

With the new roadwork inevitable, Turner said the city sees it as a one-time opportunity to make a variety of improvements on the stretch, which he said serves as a primary gateway into the community.

“This is an opportunity for us to create an image for our community,” Turner said earlier in June. “I believe the council is interested in making this roadway look good.”