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Plainfield — The Plainfield Board of Trustees officially broke ground on the 143rd Street East Extension on June 24.
Village President John Argoudelis and the Village Board was joined by U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, state Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel, D-Shorewood, state Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, and representatives from Illinois Department of Transportation and the Will County Government League to kick off the project that will directly connect Route 59 and Route 126, according to a news release from the village.
When it is completed, the new east extension of 143rd Street will be four lanes across and include about 7,000 feet of road and a bridge over the DuPage River. The project also will include 2,000 feet of pathway and new traffic signals at the intersection of 143rd Street and Plainfield-Naperville Road and the intersection of 143rd Street and Route 126, according to the village.
“This project is a key part of the village’s Transportation and Mobility Plan and regional transportation planning,” the village said in the release.
The project reportedly will reduce local and regional traffic congestion and improve connectivity within Plainfield and the surrounding area.
Construction is expected to start in the next few weeks. Combined with other 143rd Street Corridor projects, the final extension is expected to help facilitate the future reroute of IL Route 126, according to the village. The rerouting of IL 126 and its truck traffic to the improved 143rd Street corridor is intended to help the village achieve its goal of making the downtown area more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly.
The extension project has received more than $50 million in grant funding through various federal, state and local organizations because of the impact it will have on regional transportation, according to the village.
“It is a pleasure to be a part of this project,” Argoudelis said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “It has spanned multiple administrations and our focus has never wavered on building this roadway. Today, we recognize and celebrate that this new highway will have a profound impact on the village in multiple ways. It will be a great engine of industrial development that results in the diversification of the Village’s tax base. It will also open our downtown to redevelopment opportunities without the heavy traffic, creating a higher quality of life for our residents.”
In its announcement, the village thanked multiple elected officials for their support of the project, stating “the 143rd Street East Extension is a major undertaking and would not be possible without the support of many along the way, including U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, Rep. Lauren Underwood, state Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel and state Rep. Harry Benton.”
The village also thanked the Federal Highway Administration, IDOT, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, and the Will County Governmental League for their assistance in getting the project underway.
Construction on the project is expected to continue throughout the remainder of 2024 and 2025, with an anticipated completion date in late 2025. More information about the project is available on the village website.