Manhattan Township Bridge Project Saved After County Commissioner Intervenes with Forest Preserve

A critical bridge replacement project in Manhattan Township, jeopardized by a stalemate with the Will County Forest Preserve District and the potential loss of $500,000 in funding, has been saved following the intervention of a county board member.

Township officials announced Tuesday that Will County Board Member Judy Ogalla (R-Monee) successfully negotiated an agreement with the Forest Preserve, allowing the Kankakee Street Bridge project to proceed. The breakthrough resolves a dispute over an easement that had threatened to halt the long-planned construction.

The problem arose when the Forest Preserve District (WCFP) refused to allow the Township Road District to purchase a necessary easement for the new bridge unless the township also agreed to straighten a nearby creek to align with the WCFP’s 20-year plan. According to township minutes, the cost to realign the creek was “prohibited to the Township.”

With a construction letting deadline of August 31, 2025, looming, the impasse put half a million dollars in secured funding at risk.

In an effort to find a solution, Supervisor Jim Walsh and Highway Commissioner Jim Baltas recently met with a host of county officials, including County Board members Ogalla, Frankie Pretzel (R-New Lenox), and Joe VanDuyne (D-Wilmington), along with Will County Board Chief of Staff Chuck Pelkie and representatives from the county’s Department of Transportation.

Following that high-level meeting, Ogalla met directly with the WCFP and secured a deal. The agreement will allow the Road District to move forward with the bridge project as planned, and the Forest Preserve will waive any fees that might have been required for construction.

The resolution allows the township to meet its deadline and preserve the crucial state funding needed for the infrastructure project. Details on the construction timeline following the agreement are expected to be announced later.