Hobbie Avenue finish in sight

KANKAKEE – There is an ending in sight for the long-running, nearly $7-million complete reconstruction of one of Kankakee’s most vital transportation arteries.

Hobbie Avenue, the approximate 1-mile stretch of road on the city’s northeast side, could be completed by May or June, Mayor Chris Curtis said to city officials at the close of Monday’s Kankakee City Council meeting.

Curtis said while some concrete work regarding a small portion of sidewalks and curbing are not yet entirely complete, the asphalt surface will be placed as soon as the asphalt plants reopen.

Asphalt plants shut down when freezing weather arrives as it cannot be applied to streets during the winter months.

When the plants open, Curtis said the final, and most noticeable portion of the project, will be tackled. That portion of the project is putting the final street surface in place.

Once the asphalt is placed and the street is marked with its striping, life for motorists in this area will return to normal.

Hobbie Avenue is the street which connects Illinois Route 50 on its north side to East Court Street on its south side. The road has been entirely closed for much of the past 18 months.

When drivers return to the road, they will notice its is wider, has far better lighting and will have sidewalks on both sides. The road also will have an area for bikers.

When completed, Hobbie Avenue will be about 45-feet wide with a northbound and southbound lane and a center turn lane.

The road will be comprised of a 12-inch layer of compressed gravel and a 9.75-inch thick layer of asphalt.

Those whole live in this 1st Ward area have long grown impatient for its completion.

The project was not slated to take this long to complete when the contract was first awarded to Kankakee Valley Construction Co.

When the contract was awarded to Kankakee Valley Construction Co., the project was not slated to take this long to complete. However, once work began on the road bed, the city reached out to all the utilities and requested upgrades be tackled now rather than after the project is complete.

Companies who upgraded the underground infrastructure included Aqua Illinois, AT&T, Nicor Gas and ComEd. Two new railroad crossing also were constructed.

With these upgrades now complete, all underground work has been finished so the road won’t be damaged due to utility repairs or upgrades for some time.

Like any long-running construction project, people became frustrated. There were often questions at the council meeting regarding the project’s timeline.

There were issues with dust, most often in the summer, and what could be done to ease that problem.