Belmont Underpass back on track after laborers’ strike


By Joseph Ruzich
Special to the Tribune

Motorists in Downers Grove can expect delays and detours in the coming days
as a result of the a $59 million railroad underpass project scheduled to get
under way at Belmont Road June 28.

Downers Grove officials said July 20 that the road will close at 5 a.m. July
28 and will reopen at or before 5 p.m. Aug. 12.

The road closure was delayed by two weeks because of a laborers’ strike that
has now been resolved.

Metra train riders who take the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line will also
be affected by the project.

Since July 12, nearly two dozen weekday Metra trains have seen minor
schedule changes of one to three minutes because the project will reduce the
BNSF line from three tracks to two near the Belmont station.

On weekends, several outbound BNSF trains will depart 10 minutes later than
the current schedule.

Belmont Road will only be closed at the railroad crossing, and detours will
be posted for motorists, according to Douglas Kozlowski, a spokesman for the
village of Downers Grove.

The inbound (south) platform will be closed Saturday, July 31 for one day
only.  Trains will be adjusted pick up passengers on the north platform.
The Belmont Commuter Station will be closed to all passengers Aug. 7.
Passengers will be redirected to the Lisle and Main Street Stations.

Metra is closing the intersection to move signals and warning devices to a
new bypass just east of the current crossing.

Metra is paying the bulk of the cost of the project, about $25 million.

Nearly $20 million is coming from the Illinois Department of Transportation,
$12 million from the Illinois Commerce Commission and $2.7 million from BNSF
Railway.

Officials have been planning the project for almost 10 years and are excited
that construction has finally begun, Kozlowski said.

“The work will be ongoing,” he said. “When completed, the project will
improve safety conditions for motorists and pedestrians. It will also improve response times of emergency vehicles.”

The project is expected to be completed in 2013. Haddow Avenue and Hitchcock
Avenue will be open to local traffic. For traffic crossing the tracks, the
detour route is IL Route 53 to Ogden Avenue.

Kozlowski said there have been 56 accidents at the crossing since 1996,
making it one of the most dangerous crossings along the BNSF line.
More than 150 trains pass Belmont Road each day, including 78 commuter
trains on the line.

Metra Spokesman Michael Gillis said riders can view the new schedule at
metrarail.com or at the train station.

“We think most riders won’t see this as an inconvenience,” Gillis said.
“This is a critical project. To separate the train tracks from the roadway
will help ease congestion on a major north-south artery in DuPage County. It
will also make it safer for everyone.”