ROCHELLE — At its Dec. 11 meeting, the Rochelle City Council took its first preliminary step toward the future reconstruction and widening of Illinois Route 251 North through Rochelle by the Illinois Department of Transportation. 

The city entered into an engineering/surveying services agreement with Peralte Clark Engineering for $36,201 for Rochelle Municipal Utilities subsurface utility investigation and potential conflicts along Illinois Route 251. IDOT has also contracted with Peralte Clark Engineering for various design phases of the project. The improvements are being developed and engineered by IDOT and PCE and will extend 900 feet south of Illinois Route 38 to approximately 600 feet north of Flagg Road. The city will first identity potential conflicts that will arise with RMU water, sewer and electric infrastructure during the work. Appropriate adjustments and/or complete relocations will be resolved prior to the reconstruction. Roadway design plans will be finalized in 2024. City Engineer Sam Tesreau wanted to get ahead of the game on the project and resolve potential issues ahead of time. The city has been speaking with IDOT about the project and the deteriorating state of the roadway for over 19 years. 

“It was very exciting to see a preliminary step on this project be approved by the council,” City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh said. “Sam thought it would make sense for us to use the same engineering firm as the state. It streamlines communication and makes sure that we're all on the same page. We've been meeting with the state about the route since COVID-19. To know that they've hired an engineering firm is very exciting. It's exciting that we're moving forward on locating utilities for it.”

In recent years, the city began meeting with IDOT quarterly about the project to make sure it was a priority for the state. The city has also utilized a lobbying firm to attempt to move up the project’s timeline. 

“I think IDOT does the best it can with the resources it has,” Fiegenschuh said. “I've found their staff to be very easy to work with. They have a lot of state routes to maintain. Ours is just one. It's very important to us and they know that. That's why they're working hard to get this project going. We do everything we can to advocate on behalf of the 251 project. I can say with 100-percent certainty that they know and understand the importance of this project.”

Fiegenschuh stressed that the actual reconstruction of the stretch of road is still years off, estimating a current timeline of 2027 or later. The next three years will involve the complete redesign of the intersection, right-of-way property acquisition, and the holding of public meetings, 

“Everybody wants to tear this road up and fix it,” Fiegenschuh said. “I don't think people understand how difficult that's going to be. We'll make sure the public is aware of what's going on and that will be a big job. We'd like to see the timeline move up because the condition of the road warrants it. But the project is going to be a lot of work for three years.”

Fiegenschuh said the city has concerns about whether or not the stretch of road will last three more years and that public officials will continue to lobby for the project to be moved up.

In a recent year that saw snowfall and ice, city street department crews were on Illinois Route 251 north breaking up ice so water could drain off the road, and they witnessed pieces of the road falling off of it, Fiegenschuh said. 

“We took pictures and informed IDOT,” Fiegenschuh said. “IDOT knows the condition it’s in. We've had conversations on what we can do to try to get them to move quicker because of the condition of the road. We've done a lot of pothole patching and things because of our maintenance agreement with them for the road. We've handled things because we can get it done quicker and it takes care of our business owners. It's been very frustrating. But it's only going to move as quickly as IDOT can, whether people like it or not. We're just operating within those confines. We need to be partners with the state and show them where we're coming from and relay the importance of projects and have a positive working relationship with them. We do and we will continue to do so.”