Bell Road work advancing; Homer Glen presses county on 140th Street expansion after contentious vote

Village staff updated trustees on ongoing roadway projects and said work on Bell Road will resume imminently after utility delays, while trustees discussed a separate county transportation controversy over a proposed expansion of 140th Street.

Brett Westcott, who provides project updates for the village, told the board that utility conflicts had delayed contractor work on Bell Road but that crews expected to return to the site within days. He said the west extension of the Hero's Trail is being asphalted and that traffic stage shifts on the Bell Road/A 140th Street project are anticipated around the week of Aug. 11; staff will post regular updates on the village development services webpage.

Separately, trustees recounted a Will County meeting in which the county board initially voted 13–9 to remove the 140th Street expansion from a transportation plan, but an assistant state's attorney told the board that such a vote 'didn't count' because an adopted plan is not the same as an engineer's submittal. Trustees said the exchange became heated and that they plan to meet individually with county board members, the county executive and county engineers to press the village's position. Village leaders emphasized they will seek compromise options and that additional conversations with the county are planned.

Outcome: No formal village action was taken at the meeting; staff will continue to post project updates online and trustees will pursue further meetings with county officials and engineers to seek a resolution on the 140th Street matter.