The long awaited Butterfield Road construction project to widen Butterfield (Route 56) to a four-lane highway has begun. Orange construction barrels can be seen lining the south side of Butterfield from Naperville Road west to Eola Road. Construction crews are currently working on areas along the roadway to relocate or reconfigure utilities that are now in the path of the planned construction. Most activitiy can currently be found west of Herrick Road and east of Winfield Road.
Along with a the two additional traveling lanes, the Butterfield widening project will also add a continuous pedestrian sidewalk on the north side of Butterfield. Additionally, a 10′ tall noise abatement wall be installed along portions of Butterfield Rd. near some of the residential areas in close proximity to the highway. A portion of the new highway, in Warrenville, will feature a landscaped, divided highway. IDOT has plans to replace many of the trees and shrubs lost during the construction project.
This is a long-term widening project that will take a significant amount of time to complete; the IDOT project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2012. Expect delays and slow-downs along the Butterfield road construction route throughout the duration of the project. If you regularly commute using Butterfield Road, you may want to find an alternative route. The nearest alternative east-west roadways are Roosevelt Road to the north, and Winfield/Ferry Road to the south. The total cost for the Butterfield widening project is estimated at $52-million.
A detailed project overview can be found here.