Villa Street Improvement - Finally

A construction warning sign went up indicating that resurfacing of Villa Street from Lake Street to Willard Avenue will begin on May 8.

Villa Street is a main access route directly into Downtown Elgin (at one time, it was US 20, then Business Route US 20 until it was stripped of the designation). It is probably, of all the main streets in Elgin, in the worst condition. The construction will undoubtedly create some traffic headaches, but it will be worth it in the end.

The project was made possible from revenue via the recently increased sales tax within the city. Currently a four lane street, it will be converted to three wider lanes, consisting of a center turn lane and one through lane in each direction. Bike lanes have also been recommended, consistent with the city's master plan.

Spring Street Maintenance - Things to Come

A hole was dug for some sort of maintenance on Spring Street just north of Symphony Way. No warning before coming upon it.

It is just a portent of things to come soon, however. The next phase of the Central Business District Streetscape Project is set to begin soon, including this section of Spring.

Summit Street - It's Getting There!

A few weeks ago, what was officially dubbed as the "Center and Seneca Street Rehabilitation Project" started, but it should have been called the "Screwing Up the Main Access to The North End via Summit Street Project" instead.

Just north of Downtown Elgin, this is a narrow but pivotal route in and out of the neighborhood, and virtually part of a gateway route to the Center City area.

Included in the project was storm sewer and and replacement. It has turned into a minefield. Suffice it to say that it appears progress is being made. New curbs were poured this week. Given the lack of street parking in this area, I feel sorry for everyone whose driveway approaches are no longer there.

Many people have taken great pains to avoid Summit Street in the meantime, including yours truly. It is apparent that everyone else is doing what I have, and using alternate streets. The ruts are unbelievable.

According to the city's website, it is scheduled for a June 1 completion date. It won't happen soon enough. Nonetheless, progress is being made.

Villa Street

Villa Street (once part of US 20) as it hits the curve and turns into Center Street.

Door to Door - 100 W Chicago

Elgin Pace Bus Terminal, 100 West Chicago Street

Opened in 1985, the Elgin Bus Terminal serves The Regional Transportation Authority's Pace Suburbans Bus service.

Straddling along the west bank of the Fox River, it was designed with sharp angles and a narrow building.

It contains four bus lanes which send buses all over Elgin and to other suburban points, principally Aurora, Streamwood, Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg/Woodfield.

It is across the street from the Chicago Street Train Station, making for convenient transportation connections.

Althought the address is on Chicago Street, it also fronts Highland Avenue on the other side. With Chicago being one way eastbound and Highland one way westbound, the buses enter and exit from both sides. Most eastside buses exit on Chicago Street, most westside buses on Highland Avenue.

The passing trains on the railroad tracks immediately alongside the terminal can be big hindrance to bus traffic, but the convenience of the terminal directly across the street from the train station create in important transportation center for the city.

Until 2010, it also hosted Greyhound Bus service, which provided the only direct inter-city transportation outside of the Metra commuter rail across the street.

The waiting room inside is deceptively larger than the building would indicate outside. The seating and decor are very spartan, but the windows provide a sweeping view of the river and downtown Elgin. The skylights and high ceiling provide a bright and airy indoor waiting area out of the weather, which cloak the otherwise potentially dingy environment.

Upcoming Contruction - Headaches Coming

Downtown stakeholders and interested residents are invited to attend a meeting regarding construction projects happening in and around downtown in 2012, including:

• Riverside Drive Promenade (the crumbling current parking deck will be torn out and replaced by a promenade-style river walk alongside Riverside Drive.)
• Downtown Streetscape Phase V (Spring Street north of Highland and several adjacent streets will be completely torn up and rebuilt in the next phase of the downtown street and sidewalk improvement.)
• Kimball Street Bridge Resurfacing (this has been needed for quite some time, with the surface being so bumpy, but it is going to really clog traffic in the meantime.  It is bad under normal conditions.)
• Elgin Artspace Lofts (previously mentioned and document here, this really hasn't taken much of a toll of getting around - yet.)

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 10 from 6:30-8:30PM at The Centre, 100 Symphony Way in downtown Elgin. 



Please RSVP ONLINE to attend or call(847) 488-1456. 

Door to Door - 109 W Chicago

Gettin' Around!

Elgin Chicago Street Railroad Station - 109 West Chicago Street

This is one of the four main components to getting around and in and out of town without an automobile (the others are the two other railroad stations at National Street and Big Timber Road, and the bus terminal across the street).

Amtrak does not provide service, and the previous passenger rail service ended years ago, but it remains busy with Metra service to Chicago.

The current station opened in 1947. It was rather spartan. The original waiting room had old-style hard upright wooden benches that were commonly used. Those were removed several years ago, and the room was sadly turned into a storage area. A look through the windows shows pile of papers and junk.

The ticket window was moved to the back end of the building, without seating inside. An enclosed seating area sit across the tracks, although it is usually dirty and can be a haven for some undesirable people at times.

Train arriving from Chicago.

There are two main tracks with three platforms. There is a rail yard immediately behind the station since Elgin is currently the end of the Milwaukee District West Line route (the name coming from the old Chicago Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway and the Milwaukee Road commuter service that was provided before the Regional Transportation Authority and Metra took it over).

The CP Rail System, if I'm not mistaken, still own the tracks. Freight trains also frequently come through. The route goes all the way out to the Mississippi River.

Being smack in the center of town, the train traffic consistently gums up auto traffic, made worse if a train is coming through the upper Union Pacific tracks right up the hill.

Looking north from the station.

There have been talks about extending the passenger service out to Huntley and Rockford, but that is still an idea that hasn't come close to fruition. There was also talk of starting a new Amtrak route through to Iowa and possibly South Dakota. There was been a debate over whether this route or a route further south would be better suited.

If either or both ever happened, it would be a huge asset to Elgin.

From Wikipedia: In 1849, the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad reached Elgin, which later would be served by railroads running along both banks of the Fox River, linking the growing town to Chicago and other urban centers.^[3] Early Elgin achieved fame for the butter and dairy goods it sold to the city of Chicago. Gail Borden established a condensed milk factory here in 1866, and the local library is named in his honor. The dairy industry became less important with the arrival of the Elgin Watch Company. The watch factory employed three generations of Elginites from the late 19th to the mid 20th century, when it was the largest producer of fine watches in the United States (the factory ceased production in the early 1960s and was torn down in 1965). Today, the clocks at Chicago's Union Station still bear the Elgin name.^[4]