Rather than supplant existing landscape, this 4.6-mile bridge corridor and road realignment program enhanced resources that otherwise would have continued to degrade.
In addition to increasing traffic capacity, the Stearns Road Corridor project involved acquisition and restoration of more than 200 acres of greenery, ensuring that the surrounding landscape would remain intact for future generations.
A single landscaping contract resulted in a uniform approach that included native plantings and vegetative swales.
The project, which entailed the construction of eight highway bridges, including the 980-ft-long Fox River Bridge, was the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken in Kane County.
Stearns Road Corridor, Kane County, Ill. Key Players
Owner: Kane County Division of Transportation, St. Charles, Ill.
GC: Herlihy Mid-Continent Co., Romeoville, Ill.
Designer: Alfred Benesch & Co., Chicago
Structural Engineer: Michael Baker Jr. Inc., Chicago
Civil Engineer: Alfred Benesch & Co. Chicago
Submitted by: Alfred Benesch & Co.