NEW: March Activity Updates!

On Saturday, March 5, 2011, Alamp will begin construction of storm sewers along the North Side of Roosevelt Road from Oak Park Avenue, moving west to Harlem Avenue.  Traffic will not be interrupted.  However please obey the flaggers directing traffic around working areas!

On Thursday, March 10, 2011, Alamp will begin the construction of storm sewers along the south side of Roosevelt Road beginning at Oak Park Avenue and moving east toward Austin Boulevard. This work is estimated to take approximately 6 weeks. Roosevelt Road will remain open to traffic.  Please observe the flaggers directing traffic around work zones!

On Monday, March 14, 2011, Alamp will begin the placement of a brick paver sidewalk at intersections along the south side of Roosevelt Road from Harlem Avenue to Oak Park Avenue.  This work will take approximately 2 weeks and will not impact Roosevelt Road traffic.  Parking and pedestrian traffic may be temporarily affected in the work areas.  Please use caution and obey all signs and barricades when around these locations.

IDOT Highway Construction Contract Award

The Illinois Department of Transportation has awarded the Highway Construction Contract to A. Lamp Concrete Contractors, Inc.  Their low bid amount was $8.3m.  Please visit http://www.dot.il.gov for more information.

Roosevelt Road Streetscape Work Poised to begin

Work to improve the streetscape and walkability of Roosevelt Road could begin as early as this month.  Funded in part with $7m in state and federal funds, efforts will focus on creating a more pedestrian-friendly, landscaped and vibrant commercial corridor along the busy thoroughfare shared by Oak Park, Berwyn and Cicero. 

The initial groundwork for the project first was laid in 2000 when the Berwyn Development Corporation, working with the City of Berwyn and the Village of Oak Park, received a state grant to develop general guidelines for improving the Roosevelt Road corridor.  That plan, released in 2003, recommended that the three communities adopt a shared vision and unified zoning regulations to make it possible.  The project took a dramatic step forward in 2006 when Berwyn and Oak Park, along with the City of Cicero, signed an intergovernmental agreement pledging to work together to revitalize their shared border. 

Creation of specific design plans for streetscape improvements and new consistent zoning regulations for all three communities were authorized in 2007.  Streetscape design plans were adopted in 2008, and the zoning regulations approved in 2009.  The only remaining obstacle was to secure funding for the project, a hurdle swept away by a commitment for funding made by the Illinois Department of Transportation in December 2009. 

Work will start at Harlem Avenue and move east to Austin Boulevard in three phases -                
                 1.  Harlem to Oak Park Avenue
                 2.  Oak Park to Ridgeland Avenue
                 3.  Ridgeland to Austin
working on the south side to north side in each phase. 
Construction is expected to be completed by August 2011.

In the News...

October 27, 2010
Berwyn News
Oak Park, Cicero, and Berwyn Collaborate Along Roosevelt Road
Read the full story here.

October 17, 2010
Live Here - Oak Park, IL
Roosevelt Road's Getting a Makeover
Read the full story here.

October 5, 2010
Roosevelt Road street project gets international attention
OakPark.com article...
Read the full story here.

October 1, 2010
Cross-border cooperation earns national recognition
Honorable mention for the Excellence in Economic Development was presented to the cooperative effort to revitalize Roosevelt Road by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC).
Read the full story here.

September 29, 2010
PR Newswire
Roosevelt Road Repositioned as a Unified Corridor:  Berwyn, Oak Park and Cicero Awarded for Collaboration
Read the full story here.

September 6, 2010
OakPark-RiverForest Patch
Renovating Roosevelt Road, Officials pledge $8.3 million to give corridor a makeover.
Read the full story here.

September 8, 2010
Three west suburban towns begin joint project on Roosevelt Road
Read the full story here.

September 3, 2010
ABC 7 News Groundbreaking coverage
A groundbreaking ceremony marks the beginning of a construction project aimed at improving a section of Roosevelt Road in the western suburbs.
Read More

September 1, 2010
Wednesday Journal annouces Groundbreaking...
Read More

Chicago Tribune coverage...
West suburban briefs
Work on Roosevelt Road in the near west Suburbs is set to begin after Labor Day, moving forward a comprehensive project to refurbish and redevelop the area.  Read entire article here.

August 24, 2010
Wednesday Journal article
Once more, construction begins on Roosevelt Road
Read here

August 4, 2010
The Pre-Construction Meeting was held.  Meeting Minutes are not yet complete.

June 23, 2010
Berwyn Development Corporation - Current Project Updates website
Roosevelt Road Streetscape - "The next step in revitalization of Roosevelt Road is the implementation of streetscape, landscaping, lighting and other elements that were included in the planning for the corridor by the communities to determine a start date for implementation.  The start date is affected by IDOT's work on the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290)."

December 14, 2009
Oak Park Community Planning & Development sums up the history of the Roosevelt Road shared border.  Read full article here.

introduction to Streetscape Design Plan & Zoning Regulations

The project officially began on April 9, 2008 when the Phase I consultant team conducted an initial tour of the corridor accompanied by members of the Roosevelt Road Advisory Committee and representatives from the three municipalities. The consultants completed the streetscape design plan in late fall of 2008, with the new zoning regulations followed in 2009.

         Tour of the corridor, April 9, 2008

Background

Work Plan

Past News

Background

The groundwork for this project was laid in 2000, when the Berwyn Development Corporation, in partnership with the City of Berwyn and the Village of Oak Park, secured an “Illinois Tomorrow” Grant through the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to do a first-ever comprehensive redevelopment plan for the Roosevelt Road corridor. That plan, which was released in 2003, recommended encouraging pedestrian travel with wider sidewalks, landscaping and better lighting; improving traffic flow and control with medians; and attracting retail and residential development to the area. In 2006, the Town of Cicero joined Berwyn and Oak Park to help implement the recommendations of the redevelopment plan. In April 2007, the three communities signed an intergovernmental agreement that established the Roosevelt Road Advisory Committee (comprised of representatives from each municipality) to oversee the project. In January 2008, the committee selected a consultant team to prepare design plans for streetscape improvements and new zoning regulations for the corridor planning area.

Work Plan

The consultants produced two major work products as part of the project: (1) a streetscape design plan, which will focus on all components of the public right-of-way, including sidewalks, lighting, parking and traffic circulation and (2) updated zoning regulations, focusing on the physical “form” of private development, redevelopment and rehabilitation activities along the corridor.

The project will be conducted in three phases. After an initial reconnaissance and data-gathering phase, work on the streetscape design plan and zoning regulations will occur concurrently.

Past News

Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest September 15, 2009 article
Roosevelt Road construction nears final stretch
Businesses have been effected by construction that is nearing its season end. Read the full article here.

Oak Park Plan Commission recommends approval of zoning regulations
At their September 3, 2009 meeting, the Oak Park Plan Commission recommended approval of the new Roosevelt Road zoning regulations by a vote of 7-1. The Oak Park Village Board adopted the proposed regulations on November 16, 2009.  Read the meeting minutes here.

Terra Engineering/The Lakota Group Selected for Next Phase of Streetscape Work
In late 2008, following the completion of the Preliminary Streetscape Plan, Oak Park, Berwyn, and Cicero solicited proposals from engineering firms for preparing construction documents for the streetscape work. The team of Terra Engineering and The Lakota Group was selected for this next phase of work. Terra and Lakota have begun surveying the corridor, creating base maps, and coordinating with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). Through the months of April and May 2009, the design team will work with the Roosevelt Road Advisory Committee (RRAC) to finalize the streetscape designs. The team now has construction documents ready for  IDOT.