Editor’s note: If you notice repair or building activities in the preserves this construction season and wonder what is happening, Cindy Wojdyla Cain, the Forest Preserve public information officer, will be providing online Project Update reports with all the information you need to stay up to date. 

The much-anticipated replacement of the pothole-riddled entrance road at Messenger Woods Nature Preserve in Homer Glen has begun.

Work to expand the Spring Creek floodplain was the first phase of the project to get underway on May 4. This work took place south of Bruce Road and will compensate for the loss of floodplain along the new entrance road. Once completed, the area will be restored to prairie.

Starting Monday, May 18, removal of the existing entrance road will begin, and the preserve will close for an estimated four weeks. Once the old pavement is completely removed from Bruce Road north to the first parking lot, work will begin to elevate the entrance road by about 12 inches, said Matt Novander, the Forest Preserve District’s chief landscape architect.

Plans for the road replacement have been in the works for several years.

‘In dire need’

An extensive entrance road repaving project in 2011 was supposed to last many years, but it didn't, Novander said. 

“We did that with the expectation (and) hope, really, that we would get some length and longevity out of the rebuild, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen,” he said. “Typically, roadways last anywhere from 15 to 30 years with progressive maintenance.”

Within about 10 years, water was already damaging the entrance road, and it was “in dire need of reconstruction” for several reasons, he said.

“The road as it’s currently built is basically at grade and it doesn’t drain well and it goes through a significant floodplain,” Novander explained.

That’s why the new entrance road will not only be higher, but also will include geosynthetic fabric and grids in the base layers to improve drainage, stabilize the rock and soil base and help prevent water damage to the new pavement.

‘Aggressive’ schedule

Because Messenger Woods is in a floodplain and also has state-level nature preserve protection, permits had to be obtained from regulatory agencies, Novander said.

All of that took time, but now work has begun, and an “aggressive” three-week schedule has been set for project completion, Novander said. The goal is to have the preserve reopened by the Fourth of July holiday at the latest if delays occur due to weather or other factors.

“Please be patient while we are under construction,” he added. “We are trying and will get the preserve open as soon as possible.”

The project will cost $377,766 and is part of the Forest Preserve District’s 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Program, which is funded by a $50 million bond issue.