Oak Street Bridge Project Enters New Phase

Though discussion about the replacement of the Oak Street Bridge in Hinsdale has been going on for years, the first phase of the grant-funded project only recently wrapped up.

Village engineer Dan Deeter said at Tuesday night’s Hinsdale Board of Trustees Environment and Public Services (EPS) Committee meeting that the replacement project will enter the “design and land acquisition” phase in 2014, the second of three phases that need to be completed before Hinsdale has a new bridge.

“It’ll be [about] what it’s going to look like, and there will probably be conversations about trees and we will still be continuing our conversations about traffic,” trustee and EPS chairperson Laura LaPlaca said.

Phase I of the project was for “preliminary engineering and environmental studies.” During that phase, a community working group that included community members, village officials, and representatives from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) selected the replacement option over other alternatives and the village’s engineering consultant, Clark-Dietz, determined what kinds of grading adjustments would need to be made to accommodate a new bridge that conforms with current IDOT regulations.

Phase III of the project is construction. Deeter said that if all goes according to current plans, the village would begin approving construction bids in March 2015.

Construction of the bridge is expected to cost between $10 million and $13 million, but will be covered completely by federal and state grants that must be administered by IDOT.  

Preliminary sketches of a new bridge—one that matches the design of the nearby Highlands Metra station—were presented at a public meeting in March. 

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