East New York Street (Commons Drive To Mall Entrance Number 6) Project

Overview

The City of Aurora is currently conducting an engineering study for safety improvements along New York Street from Commons Drive to Fox Valley Entrance No. 6.

Study Background

New York Street is a 6-lane roadway with a raised-landscaped median separating eastbound and westbound traffic. The roadway is functionally classified by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) as a Minor Arterial. The current average daily traffic (ADT) is approximately 24,750 vehicles per day. The speed limit is posted at 45 mph within the project limits. There are three (3) signalized intersections within the project limits. The City of Aurora has received Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funding for all phases of engineering and construction. Preliminary engineering is currently ongoing with Design Approval anticipated in late Spring 2025.

Purpose of Project

The left turn movements at the intersections along New York Street between Commons Drive and Fox Valley Entrance No. 6 have to cross 5 lanes to complete the turn on a protected/permissive pattern. There is a safety concern due to this maneuver and sees a couple of severe accidents per year. The corridor also experiences speeding, street lighting needs updating, there is a lack of enhanced pedestrians crossing, warning signs and connectivity to existing pedestrian/bicycle infrastructure. The existing traffic signal equipment needs to be modernized for better traffic operation as well.

Proposed Improvements

The proposed improvements for this project includes widening New York street to include an additional left turn lane by cutting into the existing median, modernizing traffic signals to accommodate the dual left turn lanes, adding traffic signal head backplates, installation of radar speed warning signs, filling in the missing sidewalk and multi-use path gaps, updating street lights, median work, updating ADA ramps & detectable warning sign, enhancing pedestrian crossing, signage, restriping & pavement markings, installing Video Detection Cameras and Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) cameras, restoration and other pertinent work.

Schedule

The project is scheduled to begin construction in Spring 2026, pending acquisition of the right-of-way necessary to construct the improvements.

Public Information Meeting

A public information meeting (PIM) was held on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, at the Aurora Customer Service Center (3770 McCoy Dr). The open-house meeting introduced the project, presented existing conditions, presented proposed improvements, discussed the land acquisition process, and solicited input from the public. The following exhibit was displayed at the PIM: (link to Plan Sheet Exhibit). We encourage comments throughout the course of the study. Questions or comments that were received by June 24, 2024 were added to the public meeting record.

• Plan Sheet Exhibit(PDF, 2MB)