In 2026, Forest Park will see Jackson Boulevard under construction to replace the water main underneath it, plus new alleyways throughout the village.
The village’s engineering consultant, Christopher B. Burke Engineering, presented plans for infrastructure projects throughout Forest Park this year at a Feb. 23 council meeting.
This summer, Forest Park will see Jackson Boulevard restructured and resurfaced, and Burkhart Court will also see a new water main and resurfacing. The Illinois Department of Transportation is leading road resurfacing projects at the I-290 bridge over the Des Plaines River, the Des Plaines Avenue bridge over I-290, and underneath I-290 to improve drainage and will be staging equipment west of the Forest Park CTA station.
The lead service lines that carry water to residences and businesses will be under construction this year to replace them with copper ones in the following areas:
- Between Jackson and Lehmer St.
- Between Jackson and Madison St., Ferdinand and Hannah
- From 13th Street to 16th Street
- Between Roosevelt and Harrison, Circle and Dunlop
- Between Dunlop and Des Plaines
On the north side of town, the only remaining alleys in poor condition are between the 600 blocks of Thomas and Hannah, the 7200 block of Jackson between Harlem and Elgin, and the alley between Madison and Lincoln Court. About a dozen alleys on the south side of town still need repair.
“It’s important to note that we’ve done a great job of improving the alleys throughout the village. Over the last three decades, we’ve made 103 alley reconstructions,” said James Amelio, the group lead at Burke Engineering, during the presentation. All of those alleys were reconstructed so water drains to the center of the alley and into a drainage structure to prevent flooding.
This year’s updates are a part of the village’s three-year plan for 2024 through 2026. In 2023, Burke Engineering developed the plan with the village administrator and public works department. Alleys and roads have been updated by condition, with those in the poorest state replaced first.
Infrastructure projects in 2026 are expected to cost over $10.8 million. Over $6 million will be funded by grants. The village plans to use over $2 million from its VIP fund to replace sidewalks in the village, a green alley in the 800 block of Thomas and Hannah, and the Jackson water main and resurfacing project. Nearly $2.5 million is expected to come out of the village’s water fund to cover the Jackson Boulevard water main construction and resurfacing and the water main design for the 400 and 500 blocks of Harlem and Elgin.
For the latter project, Amelio said Forest Park is receiving funding from the Environmental Protection Agency’s State and Tribal Assistance Grants through Cong. Danny Davis’ office. Nearly $1.1 million has been earmarked for Forest Park, which will go toward covering much of construction.
The $2.5 million from the water fund will also cover Burke Engineering’s feasibility study and design to replace the water reservoir on Jackson Boulevard underneath the Howard Mohr Community Center.
Burke Engineering has already started the $227,000 feasibility study to help commissioners decide whether to build new reservoirs at the Forest Park CTA station parking lot or the Altenheim to replace the one on Jackson Boulevard underneath the community center.
“There’s a little bit of money remaining in that, which we are working on to keep the project advancing as we look for funding and continue to go through the IEPA process,” Amelio said.