A citywide replacement of Elgin’s lead-based water pipes would cost an estimated $110 million, Mayor Dave Kaptain said at a state Senate committee hearing held at the Gail Borden Public Library Monday.
As talks of a comprehensive capital improvements bill have intensified this legislative session in Springfield, the Senate’s joint committee on capital took its hearings on the road to gauge the wants and needs throughout the state. The hearing at the Elgin library was one of multiple stops scheduled from March through May.
At Monday’s hearing, representatives from some of the area’s municipal governments spoke about local infrastructure projects, such as widening U.S. Route 20 from Randall Road to Route 47 near Pingree Grove and Hampshire. South Elgin and McHenry County officials also spoke of improvements to McLean Boulevard and Route 47, respectively.
Kaptain brought up lead pipes in Elgin, a topic that generated significant interest over the last few months as East Chicago Street’s reconstruction project includes replacing lead valves. He estimated an overhaul of these pipes in the city would cost $110 million. They need state guidance and financial support, though, to attempt such a project, he added.
Kaptain said the estimate is comparable to other large cities, as it would cost Aurora $240 million to do something similar, or $140 million in Joliet, or $126 million in Rockford.
“Our primary concern is the health and safety of our residents. We’ll do whatever it takes to do that,” Kaptain said. “But we need to have a plan on how to move forward.”
Kaptain also mentioned the need to improve U.S. Route 20 between Randall Road and Route 47. Residential development growth on Elgin’s west side and communities west of Elgin has resulted in frequent traffic congestion in that stretch of the highway, he said.
One accident along the two-lane portion of Route 20 can back up traffic for miles, Kaptain said. Route 20 requires an expansion from two lanes to four lanes, he said, as the area shifts from rural to suburban.
In South Elgin, village officials have partnered with the Illinois Department of Transportation for the engineering study of expanding McLean Boulevard between Stearns Road and West Spring Street. Village Administrator Steve Super told the committee South Elgin is paying half of the $554,000 cost for the initial engineering project while IDOT pays the remaining half.
Estimates to convert the three-quarter-mile stretch from two lanes to four lanes and add sidewalks would cost South Elgin about $8 million, Super said. The village needs state support, he added. McLean is the main access point for 25% of South Elgin residents, and its outdated layout has turned McLean into a congested area. This particular stretch of McLean has no street signals and no sidewalks, he said.
“That’s a lot of money for us, but this road is a critical arterial for us,” Super said.
The joint committee has already stopped in downstate Edwardsville, Decatur, and Peoria and has hearings still scheduled in Chicago and Grayslake.
