Politics & Government

Northwest Highway, Wilke Road Signal Improvements Planned

Project on Arlington Heights's fiscal year 2014 budget.

Improving the signals at Northwest Highway and Wilke Road is one of the capital projects in the budget Arlington Heights officials are reviewing.

Arlington Heights’s budget is approximately $145 million, a slight increase over last year’s budget. The village will continue its ongoing programs like street resurfacing, budgeted at $3.4 million, and street rehabilitation, budgeted at $2 million, to keep area roads in shape.

The costs of maintaining the roads has increased at a faster rate than inflation due to the rising cost of oil, a key ingredient in asphalt, and has become more challenging to budget for capital projects, village staff said.

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Arlington Heights has had to make cuts for capital projects, including the Green Corridor Beautification Program.

A few additional projects planned are traffic improvements at Northwest Highway and Wilke Road and Northwest Highway, Davis Street and Arthur Avenue intersections.

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The Northwest Highway/Wilke Road project will cost $4.1 million and the budget allocation for this year is $500,00.

The project includes intersection modification to improve traffic signal sequencing, upgrades to signal hardware and signal system interconnection. Plans need to be reviewed and approved by the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Union Pacific Railroad, Metra Commuter Rail, the Illinois Commerce Commission and the Cook County Highway Department.

Improving the Northwest Highway/Davis Street/Arthur Avenue intersection will cost $2.3 million this fiscal year, which represents the final portion of construction costs for the $3.9 million project, staff said.

This project entails widening, resurfacing, channelization of roadways, traffic signals and railroad grade crossing widening at the intersection.

Street fencing and landscaping upgrades are planned at Davis and Sigwalt streets-if state funding comes through. Arlington Heights applied to the Illinois Transportation Enhancement program, which provides 80 percent of funding for the $141,000 cost.

Budget discussions will continue this week. Meetings are scheduled at 7:30 p.m. today (Monday, March 11) and Thursday, March 14 at village hall.


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