Road resurfacing through Coal City, Diamond to begin

A 1.58-mile roadway resurfacing project is set to begin next week on Coal City’s busiest thoroughfare.

D Construction has been awarded a state bid for the milling and resurfacing of Route 113 [Division Street] from Lincoln Street in Coal City east to the Will County line, Will Road in Diamond.

The $1.2 million project is being funded through the state’s Rebuild Illinois program.

In addition to the resurfacing work, the project includes the installation of ADA ramps on sidewalks at various intersections along the project area.

At the request of the village of Diamond, Mayor Terry Kernc said IDOT is widening its ADA ramps from 5 feet to 6 feet.

The work is scheduled to begin Monday, Aug. 22 and result in lane closures during the duration of the improvements through Oct. 31.

Coal City Police Chief Chris Harseim told village officials he reached out to the contractor on a work schedule that can be shared with school officials as the project gets underway at the start of a new school year.

Given increased traffic with the start of school, coupled with business and rail traffic, Harseim said there will be delays in traveling through the construction zone.

The widening of the ADA ramps through the village of Diamond finds town officials working with the village engineer Chamlin & Associates on a Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program [ITEP] grant to cover the cost of replacing the town’s 5 foot sidewalks with 6 foot walkways from Fifth Avenue east to Curtis Road—just west of Will Road.

Kernc said phase one engineering is underway and the grant application is set to be submitted next month. The project is currently estimated at $700,000 and if the funds are awarded, the work would commence in 2023.