Sandwich residents find out more about Main Street reconstruction

Sandwich residents found out more details about the planned reconstruction of a section of North Main Street along with the proposed Pratt Road bridge replacement during a June 26 open house.

Work is expected to get underway in April 2025 on the reconstruction of North Main Street from the north railroad right-of-way to Knights Road near Northwestern Medicine Valley West Hospital. The project is set for completion by October 2025.

The project is estimated to cost $4.4 million. As part of the project, a large portion of the sidewalks along that stretch will be replaced and sidewalk ramps at crosswalk locations will be improved to current Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

In addition, undersized utilities that are in poor condition will be replaced during the early stages of construction to eliminate the need for future utility improvements after the reconstruction of the road.

The Pratt Road bridge project is 80% federally funded. The project’s price tag is estimated at about $1.5 million.

The current bridge over Somonauk Creek was built in 1967 and is at the end of its lifespan. The project is expected to get underway in spring 2026.

Sandwich Mayor Todd Latham told those attending the open house that the city plans to keep residents updated regarding the upcoming projects. Latham has been watching the progress of the North Latham Street reconstruction project, set for completion in early September.

“We hadn’t done a project for a long time, so the Latham project is kind of like a learning curve,” he said. “Everything we take from the project we’re going to try to do better on the next one, just because we haven’t done anything in a long time.”

Troy Strange, of civil engineering company Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick, Inc., noted that maintaining northbound access to the hospital is an important thing to do during the project. He is the project manager for both projects.

One resident asked what will happen first when the North Main Street project gets underway. She was told that utilities will have to be moved first.

“Utilities are all in your parkway between your sidewalk and the street,” Latham said. “That’s what takes a long time.”

Regarding the replacement of the Pratt Road bridge, the new bridge for the most part will be in the same footprint as it currently is.

“What we are planning to do is replace some of the substructure,” said Randal Newkirk, design engineering manager for Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick. “So basically the piers that are coming out of the water, we’re going to be replacing those.”

Both the bridge deck and beams are severely deteriorated. The existing structure will be replaced with a new structure with a modern load rating design and improved hydraulics.

“It will be a more efficient structure at removing the stormwater through there,” Newkirk said.