Renovating Roosevelt Road

Roosevelt Road is getting a makeover, courtesy of Uncle Sam, IDOT and west suburban local governments.

The reconstruction is expected to revitalize the corridor between Austin Boulevard and Harlem Avenue, a 1.5 mile stretch that touches parts of Oak Park, Berwyn and Cicero.

On Sept. 3, officials from those three towns, as well as Gov. Pat Quinn, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL), leaders from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and workers from International Operating Engineers Local 150 were on hand to announce the renovation project, which carries a nearly $8.3 million price tag. 

IDOT Secretary Gary Hannig offered the following cost breakdown: 

• $3.95 million in federal funding
• $3 million in state funding through Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program grants
• $1.3 million from Oak Park, Berwyn and Cicero

Renovations will include repairing curbs, widening sidewalks and repaving the roadway, officials said. Ornamental streetlights and benches are also planned. 

The effort is geared at jumpstarting retail activity along the roadway and giving residents of the neighboring towns a chance "to start walking and meeting one another," said Oak Park Village President David Pope.

Ken Bertini, pharmacist and manager of the Segreti Pharmacy, 6144 W. Roosevelt Rd. in Oak Park, welcomed the project, despite the temporary road construction planned in front of his store. 

Bertini hopes the project will convert the "light industrial" feel of Roosevelt Road into a bustling retail area. 

"Roosevelt Road looks like hell now," he said. "We've been here 40 years, so we're happy to see them do it."