Shepley Road Bridge Project
April 5, 2022
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Troy Township Community Center | 25448 Seil Road |
Shorewood, IL 60404
PUBLIC INVITATION
All persons interested in this project are invited to attend this meeting. Persons with a disability desiring to participate in this activity should contact the person listed below by March, 31st 2022. This contact may be by telephone, in writing, by fax or by telecommunications device for the deaf (TTY).
This is a federally funded project, and the public information meeting is being held in compliance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements and the Illinois Department of Transportation’s public involvement policy.
Douglas Brunot, PE, SE
General Manager, Joliet Office
Willett, Hofmann & Associates, Inc.
3180 Theodore Street, Ste. 207 | Joliet, IL 60435
Email: dbrunot@willetthofmann.com
Ph: (779) 234-9077
Fax: (815) 284-3385
MEETING FORMAT
The meeting will be conducted on an informal basis. Representatives of Troy Township and Willett, Hofmann & Associates (WHA) will be available during the meeting as well. Representatives will answer individual questions and record comments offered by those in attendance. Verbatim comments will not be recorded. The Troy Township and WHA Representatives will address
topics such as the need for the project, the design alternatives under
considerations, right-of-way acquisition, and the tentative construction
schedule.
Preliminary reports, including environmental documents (Preliminary
Environmental Site Assessment (PESA)) and an engineering analysis with drawings, maps, and aerial photography, will be available for inspection and viewing during the meeting. The same material is currently available for
review and inspection upon request.
MEETING PURPOSE
Troy Township is seeking public comments on the effects that proposed
improvements to TR 153 (Shepley Road) will have on the Forest Preserve District of Will County Lake Chaminwood Preserve. Project details including
right-of-way impacts will also be presented at the meeting.
FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT INVOLVEMENT
Lake Chaminwood Preserve, which is under the jurisdiction of the Forest
Preserve District of Will County is a significant, publicly owned Forest
Preserve. As such, it is subject to protection under 4(f) of the U.S.
Department of Transportation Act of 1966. For the Shepley Road project, Troy Township intends to seek a Section 4(f) “de minimis” impact finding from the Federal Highway Administration based on a determination that the project will not adversely affect the features, attributes, or activities that qualify the Lake Chaminwood Preserve for protection under Section 4(f),
PROJECT IMPACTS
The Shepley Road project has impacts of 1.17 acres of the 143.06-acre
Forest Preserve District of Will County Lake Chaminwood Preserve. The 0.82% impact may be considered de minimis by the Forest Preserve District of Will County (FPDWC.) The impact on the Forest Preserve from the
Shepley Road project will be mitigated with property that will be dedicated to the Forest Preserve District. This property is the area where the existing structure is demolished, increasing the size and utility of the Kayak Launch area near Canal Road. This added area of the FPDWC is 1.30-acres. The 1.17-acre impact is minimized with the added 1.0-acre property for a
total impact of 0.17-acres to FPDWC.
Impact to the FPDWC property is unavoidable
Detailed documentation describing the impacts and mitigation
associated with the effects of the Shepley Road project on the
Forest Preserve District of Will County Lake Chaminwood Preserve will be
available for review at the meeting.
The proposed project will require construction in a floodplain. Pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 11988, as amended by EO 13690, public review and comment on this proposal, and its alternatives are hereby requested.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The proposed project will replace the structurally deficient bridge that
carries TR153 over the DuPage River. The project is in Troy Township, Will County, southwest of Joliet, IL and northeast of Minooka, IL. The bridge replacement is proposed in a new location, and a roadway
re-alignment is proposed with the bridge replacement. The severe
horizontal alignment has been a feature of this area since 1892, the extent of our historical research. The current Shepley Road alignment has served agricultural and residential access and transportation needs for the past 130 years. In 2011, a vehicle lost control near the river crossing and ended up in the DuPage River. Three other loss of control incidents are also on record in 2018 and 2019. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. The current bridge at the existing location experiences overtopping of the
approaches as observed by residents. We anticipate that traffic volume will grow nearly 2.5 times the current ADT in less than 30 years. Traffic safety, floodway maintenance, and future community growth concerns have been considered by local transportation officials for proposed
realignment of Shepley Road in conjunction with the bridge replacement. Economic, social, and recreational benefits could result from the proposed improvement.
The Shepley Road project is currently in the planning phase. Construction is tentatively scheduled for the 2023 construction season.