Completion of the Longmeadow Parkway Corridor, which runs from Huntley Road in Carpentersville to Route 62 in Barrington Hills and includes the new toll bridge over the Fox River seen here, has been delayed by the need to remove lead-contaminated soil in the project’s final phase. (Mike Danahey / The Courier-News)
Removal of the lead-contaminated soil that’s held up completion of the $115 million Longmeadow Parkway Bridge Corridor is to begin this spring, Kane County Division of Transportation officials said.
The 5.6-mile regional road, which runs from Huntley Road in Carpentersville to Route 62 in Barrington Hills and includes a new toll bridge over the Fox River, is partially open but completion has been at a standstill because of the 60,000 cubic square feet of tainted dirt that requires special removal and disposal.
Kane County Board members approved a new contract in February under which the soil will be treated on site before it’s disposed of, said Steve Coffinbarger, division of transportation assistant director.
“We’ve made progress,” he said. “We’ll get started on that this spring.”
Once that work is finished in spring 2024, they can accept bids for the last stage of paving work needed, Coffinbarger said. If all goes according to plan, the entire roadway — including the bridge — will be open before the end of 2024, he said.
County and state officials have known there was contaminated soil on the site for decades. The former owner of the gun range site has been working with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to remove the lead, Coffinbarger said.
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