Laraway Road Widening Project in New Lenox and Frankfort Gets Additional $468,000 for Redesign

Article Summary: The Will County Board approved a supplemental agreement worth $468,374 for additional design and engineering work on the major Laraway Road expansion project. The funds are needed for Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc. to update plans to account for several new commercial and residential developments along the corridor in New Lenox and Frankfort.

Laraway Road Project Key Points:

• Funding: The board approved $468,374 from Motor Fuel Tax funds for supplemental design services.

• Location: The project covers a four-mile stretch of Laraway Road (CH 74) from Cedar Road to Wolf Road.

• Reason: Original plans needed significant updates to accommodate new developments, including Camelot Homes, a Gas N Wash, a fueling center, and the Homestead Commercial strip mall.

• Scope: The overall project will widen Laraway Road from a two-lane rural road to a five-lane divided roadway.

NEW LENOX/FRANKFORT — The massive project to widen and reconstruct Laraway Road through New Lenox and Frankfort will require nearly half a million dollars in additional design work to accommodate a boom in local development. The Will County Board on Thursday approved a $468,374 supplemental professional services agreement with the engineering firm Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc.

The funding is necessary to redesign portions of the four-mile project—stretching from Cedar Road to Wolf Road—to integrate new access points and adjust for new construction that has occurred since the initial plans were developed. The overall project will transform the two-lane rural road into a five-lane, urban-style roadway with a closed drainage system.

According to the project scope, design plans needed to be updated to account for six new developments, including Camelot Homes at Spencer Road, a Gas N Wash and a fueling center at Schoolhouse Road, and the Homestead Commercial strip mall at Wolf Road.

In addition to incorporating new access points and adjusting the road’s profile, the supplemental work includes redesigning the geometry of the Wolf Road intersection, adding a mill and overlay section at the project’s west end, designing traffic signal interconnects, and planning for watermain relocations. The board unanimously approved the expenditure, which will be covered by the county’s allotment of Motor Fuel Tax funds.