Route 47 widening in Woodstock delayed for a year, now due to start Spring 2026

The much-anticipated Route 47 widening in Woodstock – long expected to start this spring – has been delayed a year, even after much preparation work along the road.

The Illinois Department of Transportation confirmed the two-year roadwork project is now anticipated to begin in Spring 2026.

IDOT didn’t specify a reason for the change in schedule. But the bids for the project came in about $9 million higher than engineer estimates, Woodstock City Manager Roscoe Stelford said.

A transportation agency spokesperson would not confirm that, saying the bidding process is still underway and that IDOT can’t reveal contract details until that‘s completed.

“The project was on the April 2025 letting and is currently working through the bidding and award process and has not been finalized at this time. We are unable to provide any details regarding contract, amount, etc. until the procurement process has been completed per statute,” IDOT spokesperson Maria Castaneda said.

The roadwork includes widening, reconstructing and adding roundabouts and a raised median on Route 47 between Routes 14 and 120.

Woodstock Mayor Mike Turner said the start of the project got pushed back because of delays in right-of-way land acquisition, among other things. He noted the window in which IDOT could start this year is narrowing and expected the project to “finally” get started next spring.

According to the IDOT website, the project is budgeted at $58.6 million.

Woodstock officials had to commit to their share of the project costs, about $16 million, though Stelford said the city expects its share of the costs to increase because of the bids coming in high.

Even at $16 million, it‘s unclear how the city will pay its share. In the worst case scenario, the city would have to borrow about $11 million, though the city has been working on getting state and federal assistance to cover its share.

To that end, the city applied for $2.5 million under the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program and recently learned it was awarded the full amount.

“We’re very excited” and pleased about the award, Stelford said, adding the grant would help ease the burden on residents. Woodstock still is seeking other avenues to cover its share, including applying for a local roads grant from the state. The award could be $100,000 to $10 million, Stelford said.

Turner said Tuesday he and Stelford, alongside state Rep. Steve Reick and Joyce Nardulli, the city’s lobbyist, are going to meet with IDOT Secretary Gia Biagi Wednesday to the cost of moving utilities for the project and whether there’s any state assistance for that.

When Woodstock approved a Route 47 spending plan, utility relocation costs were about $13.2 million of the city’s expenses. The ITEP grant will cover most of the streetscape side of the costs, but the city does need to match about $950,000 for the grant.

The city also has asked U.S. Rep. Bill Foster for $3 million in federal assistance.

Turner said the widening project in Woodstock is of the “highest priority” for him and the city.

The mayor added it‘s a northern Illinois and Chicago region project and the entire Route 47 corridor from Interstate 90 to north of Woodstock needs to be enhanced. He said it is a quality of life, economic development and transportation issue.

ITEP awards were announced last week, and two other McHenry County municipalities got more than $1 million in grants.

Huntley received about $1.4 million for a multi-use path along Route 47 from Oak Creek Parkway to Freeman Road. It‘s an extension of a path along the east side of Route 47 that terminates near a Wendy’s and the Drendel’s Corner gas station, Huntley Village Manager Dave Johnson told the Village Board last week.

Algonquin got just more than $1.2 million to construct a multi-use path along Sandbloom Road south of Illinois Route 62 to the village limits south of Teri Lane.