Heavy storms shut down roads in New Lenox, Homewood

Chicago Tribune

6 hours ago

Heavy rainfall Monday night left several roads flooded through Tuesday morning in New Lenox, Homewood and other nearby areas.
Oak Street, which turns into North Cooper in New Lenox along Hickory Creek, flooded and closed down for the first time in more than eight years Monday night, the first flood since improvement projects were completed on the road, according to Mayor Tim Baldermann.
The road was still closed as of 4 p.m. Tuesday, and officials said they hope to open the road sometime Wednesday.
Baldermann said the village received several calls about the flooding Tuesday morning, and officials worked to clear the drains, but he noted there was not much they could do outside of waiting for the water levels to lower. Previously, the road regularly experienced high flooding from Hickory Creek, he said.
Homewood's Dixie Highway, which experiences regular flooding of its viaduct and is part of an improvement project with the Illinois Department of Transportation, also shut down due to significant flooding, according to Homewood Public Works Director Joshua Burman.
The road was closed from 10 p.m. Monday night to 9 a.m. Tuesday morning and Sunday morning from 1 a.m. to 10 a.m. due to flooding, Burman said. He requested residents have patience for the village and state improvement project.
'There's a very big misunderstanding from a lot of residents that just don't know, and that's OK, that they believe the road is Homewood's responsibility,' Burman said. 'It is an (state) road that we assist them with and we need to have patience for their schedule.'
Burman said the improvement project is scheduled to start in 2026, depending on state funding.
Burman also said fewer than 10 roads across Homewood experienced high flooding and were shut down as well.
He advised Homewood residents to be patient and plan accordingly during storms and said residents can sign up for Rave Mobile Alerts to stay informed on community alerts.
'It was a heck of a storm, and I'm very thankful we did not lose power,' Burman said. 'If there were other isolated things the village is unaware of, hopefully everything has been restored.'
The flood advisory began earlier Tuesday and was in effect for northeast Illinois including Cook, DuPage, Kane and Will counties, officials said. The advisory remained in effect Tuesday morning for northeast Illinois including Cook and Will counties, weather officials said.
Shortly after 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Doppler radar indicated, as well as automated rain gauges showed between 2 to 5 inches of rain has fallen in the past 12 hours. The heaviest rain fell near the I-80 corridor from Joliet to Lansing, according to the National Weather Service.
Officials said additional rainfall Tuesday would delay how quickly flood waters will recede.
Later Tuesday, officials issued a beach hazard warning as waves between 3 to 5 feet were expected at beaches along Lake Michigan. Officials warned conditions will be dangerous for swimmers.