Belmont Road to Close Friday for Underpass Work

Belmont Road will close at 7 p.m. Friday to allow for the installation of road crossing panels for Track 2, the village has announced. The artery is expected to reopen at 6 a.m. Monday, May 2.

Work continues on the second phase of the multi-year project, which is now 40 percent complete. This phase, which began in 2010, will include the construction of the railroad bridge with boarding platforms, the Burlington-Warren Avenue Bridge, access ramps and the relocation of Belmont Road. The project is set for completion in June 2013.

Within the past month, the contractor began setting tracks on the bridge sections so that construction of the new, lowered road section can begin. The plan is to have two lanes of traffic open under the completed bridge section by October 2011, the village said.

Track 1, which was taken out of service in early April, will be reopened Friday on the new bridge. Members of the Village Council and Transportation and Parking Commission watched as sections of the bridge were set on April 6 and 7 with the use of a 120-foot crane. These bridge sections will provide the structural support for the three tracks over the soon-to-be-constructed roadway underpass, the village said.

Beginning tomorrow, Track 2 will be shifted to its final position on the new bridge It is scheduled to reopen on May 6. Belmont Road will be closed through May 2 to allow for the installation of road crossing panels for for the track.

The BNSF Railroad agreed to allow the Track 2 crossing panel to remain in its current location at the temporary Belmont crossing, eliminating the need for an additional weekend closure of Belmont Road in August, the village said.

Track 3 is scheduled to be taken out of service on May 7 for the construction of the south third of the railroad bridge and south stairwells. Track 3 is scheduled to be reopened on August 5 on the new bridge.  The reconstruction of the south boarding platform will be accomplished when Track 3 is out of service.

Parking will be impacted by the work. Beginning May 2, about 100 permit spaces will be relocated from Lot H to allow for construction of the pedestrian underpass and access to the lot from Belmont. Some 25 metered spaces along the south side of the lot will be converted to permit spaces. An additional 75 permit spaces will be offered at the Rexnord Company on Chase Avenue, the village said. 

Information for this story was provided by the Village of Downers Grove.