Aurora committee approves payment and new IGA for Orchard Road repairs, advances sound wall plan

The Aurora Finance Committee on Sept. 26 unanimously approved resolution 24-0599 to pay $94,445.88 as the city's 50% share of recent roadway repairs on Orchard Road and authorized executing an intergovernmental agreement with Kane County to replace a failing wooden noise fence with a prestressed concrete panel sound wall.

Ian Wade of the city's engineering division described two pieces of the item: the immediate payment for county-performed pavement patching, curb repairs, signage and striping — for which the city is contractually responsible for half the cost — and a longer-term negotiated IGA to fund a wall to reduce traffic noise and improve safety for adjoining residents. "We were able to review the bids that they obtained," Wade said, adding, "we were in on it and saw that everything appeared to be, as good as it was gonna be for us in that regard."

Alderman Franco, who has led the effort to address noise on Long Orchard Road, said the project has been a decade in the making and credited staff, legal and the mayor's office for moving it forward. "It's gonna be a 50 year endurance of the wall," he said, calling the prestressed panel a cost-effective alternative to a full IDOT-style noise wall. Wade said the city has secured roughly $1.5 million in alderman-accumulated funds and four state grants, reducing the city's proposed net share to about $1,000,000; he also said a proposed Special Service Area (SSA) would ask residents for an SSA charge "just over a couple $100 a year for a 30 year term."

Wade estimated design and bidding would occur late in 2024 with construction targeted for the 2025 season, possibly extending into fall 2025. He added the prestressed panels will be stamped and colored on one side and are expected to have a 50–60+ year life with lower maintenance costs than the existing wooden fence, which required roughly $8,000–$10,000 a year for plank replacement.

Committee members asked about timeline, aesthetics and maintenance; after discussion the committee approved the resolution by voice vote, 5-0.

The committee directed staff to continue finalizing the IGA with Kane County and to advance related SSA and grant administration work during the design and bidding phase.