Ela Township has received the update below from the Illinois Department of Transportation Bureau of Construction regarding the ongoing tree removal and road construction along Route 22. We will continue to work with ILDOT to provide you with up-to-date information as it is available.
The work currently underway consists of advanced tree removal within existing IDOT right-of-way. It is related to the future Illinois 22 improvement project from Quentin Road to Illinois 83 (Mundelein Road), but it is not the start of road widening or construction. This preliminary activity is being performed ahead of future phases to address safety, environmental timing restrictions, and utility coordination. The Northern long-eared Bat is classified as endangered, to comply with restrictions tree removal must take place during specific months. Additionally, prior to the future widening project, utilities will need to be relocated, and the trees must be removed before that work can take place. Removing trees in advance helps minimize later construction impacts and allows subsequent work to proceed more efficiently once the project advances.
The Illinois 22 improvement project is currently in Phase ll Design (contract plan preparation and land acquisition) and is included in the department’s FY 2026-2031 Proposed Highway & Multimodal Improvement Program. Current engineering efforts are targeted to enable a contract letting in the early years, contingent upon plan readiness, land acquisition, agreements, and funding availability through future annual legislative appropriations.
The proposed improvements include widening and reconstructing Illinois 22, between Quentin Road and Illinois 83, to provide an additional travel lane in each direction, separated by a raised median with left-turn lanes at the intersections, traffic signal modernization, construction of new sidewalks, and a multi-use path, along with drainage improvements.
The tree removal work started in December and is anticipated to be substantially completed in late March, with some minor work through the end of May. At this time, there is no specific timeline for utility relocation.