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Committee advances Industrial Drive design after staff reports likely $2.9M IDOT grant; downtown design work also approved
Summary
City staff told the Infrastructure Committee the Industrial Drive Phase B design will proceed with HR Green and that an IDOT economic development award could contribute about $2.9 million toward the project; the committee also approved Civiltech Engineering for downtown design work.
City staff told the West Chicago Infrastructure Committee on Dec. 4 that design work for Industrial Drive (phase B) will move forward and that the city is pursuing state economic development funding that could cover a significant share of the project.
A city staff member said HR Green — the firm that designed an earlier phase — is the recommended engineer for phase B, covering Industrial Drive from Downs Drive north to Hawthorne Lane. "We are about 95% of the way through on a design and ... getting ready here to go out to bid early in January," the staff member said, describing the continuity from the phase A work and the plan to advance Phase B design now.
Staff reported they applied to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) economic development program, a job‑creation/retention grant tied to a partnering business, and that IDOT has increased the program cap. Based on the business’s estimates of retained and created jobs, the city is "looking at almost $2,900,000 worth of funding on this project," the staff member said. The staff member added the city’s initial estimate for Industrial Drive is about $7,000,000, meaning the grant—if approved—would cover roughly 40% of the project cost.
The committee approved a professional engineering design agreement with HR Green (resolution 25R0078) for Industrial Street improvements, not to exceed $390,247, after a motion to approve that agreement and a related downtown design contract. The downtown modernization and beautification project will continue public engagement: staff said the first public input phase is complete, a second public meeting is tentatively scheduled for mid‑to‑late January, and a final meeting is expected in March. Civiltech Engineering’s detailed design agreement for downtown work (resolution 25R0080) was approved not to exceed $97,653.60; staff explained they plan to split detailed design into two components so that underground and utility work can advance before all public‑engagement items are finalized.
Both design agreements passed on roll call. Staff said, if IDOT approves the economic development funding in early 2026, the city expects to move forward with bidding and construction scheduling in the coming year.
