The Route 31 underpass in Geneva will be closing for roughly four months starting Monday as Union Pacific works on its West Line, officials said.
Vehicles heading north on Route 31 in Batavia will be directed to Fabyan Parkway, Route 25 and then Route 64 in St. Charles, or vise versa for vehicles heading south, according to a news release from the city of Geneva. Local traffic can use Third Street in downtown Geneva, the release said.
Construction on the train bridge, which is currently scheduled to be completed on June 24, is a part of a larger project by Union Pacific to build a third railroad line from West Chicago through Geneva, according to a page on Geneva’s website about the project. The Third Main Line Project was started in 2022 and is expected to be completed by late 2024, the website says.
The project should smooth railroad traffic and reduce conflicts between the freight and Metra trains that share the line, according to the website. A fact sheet about the project says that the rail line is one of the busiest in the county, with more than 50 freight trains a day and 60 Metra trains carrying around 30,000 passengers daily.
The project is expected to reduce wait times at railroad crossings, decrease both commuter and freight train delays, decrease the idling of freight trains, reduce train congestion and improve safety, the fact sheet says.
Monday will mark the second time that the Route 31 underpass will close for the Third Main Line Project. The underpass was closed for the first time in July 2023.
Crews will be constructing a new train bridge and making pavement modifications beginning Monday, according to the news release. During the last time the underpass was closed, crews built support structures south of the train bridge, officials said.
Other roads throughout Geneva are expected to close in the coming year due to the project, but they will be staggered so that only one road is closed at a time, according to the city’s website.
The crossing at Third Street will be closed for around three months starting in late June, and the crossing at Western Avenue will also be closed for three months starting in mid-September. Both start dates are tentative, the website says.
Geneva’s Metra train station outbound platform, which is platform number two, has been closed since Oct. 9, 2023, according to the city’s website. Commuters should instead use the temporary platform located east of Third Street.
The Route 31 overflow daily fee parking lot and the Third Street commuter permit lots south of the tracks are also currently closed for construction, the city’s website says. The overflow daily fee lot will be closed throughout the project because it is being used as a construction staging area.
The Fox River Trail is open during construction but has been temporarily rerouted to avoid heavy construction machinery, according to the website. The pedestrian bridge under the train tracks, which goes over the Fox River, is expected to remain open during construction.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
