The roadway resurfacing, bike lane, median island, and crosswalk construction are complete. Shared use path construction from Rand Road to the Kensington Business Center paths is scheduled for the summer of 2024 pending easement acquisition. 

Two key components of the Village’s Strategic Plan are to have well-designed roads and to create a complete pedestrian infrastructure network that promotes multi-modal transportation options and meets the goals of our Complete Streets Policy. This project looks to enhance safety and efficiency for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists along Business Center Drive between Rand Road and Wheeling Road.

Business Center Drive is a collector street under the jurisdiction of the Village. It serves as the primary access to the Kensington Business Park and carries approximately 10,000 vehicles per day. It has a four-lane cross-section (two lanes in each direction) except at Rand Road where there are three outbound lanes and two inbound lanes. The segment between Rand Road and Wheeling Road is approximately 0.3 miles in length and has adjacent commercial and industrial properties. Business Center Drive is part of the Village bike network and has a combination of bike sharrows and bike lanes that connect the Kensington Business Park to the neighborhood opposite Rand Road. For reference, read the Village Bicycle Plan. 

Business Center Drive from Rand Road to Feehanville Drive as well as Wheeling Road from Business Center Drive to Kensington Road are scheduled to be resurfaced in 2023 through our annual street resurfacing program. As part of the project, the Village is considering reconfiguring Business Center Drive to include buffered bike lanes, one through lane in each direction and a two-way left turn lane.  This will be done without any widening to the roadway.  A traffic analysis completed by Sam Schwartz Engineering determined these changes will not affect traffic flow since the lane configuration at intersections within the project limits will stay the same.  The two-way left turn lane will improve safety by designating space for vehicles turning into businesses not from the through lanes, reducing rear end and sideswipe crashes. 

As part of our complete streets design, the Village will be filling a gap in the existing bike network and make pedestrian and bike crossings along Business Center Drive safer.  This includes the following improvements:

• The existing sidewalk on the west side of Business Center Drive between Rand Road and Harvest Lane will be widened to better accommodate bikes so they are not in the roadway.
  • The new path will connect to Gregory Street, the primary east-west bike route on the north side of the Village.
  • The new path will connect to a future shared-use path on the southwest side of Rand Road.
• The existing crosswalk at the intersection of Business Center Drive and Harvest Lane will be moved to the north side of the intersection.
  • A bump out will be installed on the west side of Business Center Drive at the crossing to reduce the crossing width for pedestrians.
  • There will only be three traffic lanes for pedestrians to cross instead of five.
  • Traffic exiting Menards going to Rand Road will no longer be crossing the crosswalk.
• The existing mid-block crosswalk on Business Center Drive will be upgraded with a pedestrian refuge island to increase safety.
• A path will be constructed along Harvest Lane, connecting the new widened sidewalk on Business Center to the existing path system within the Business Park.
• Buffered bike lanes will be installed on Business Center Drive between Harvest Lane and Feehanville Drive where only sharrows currently exist.
• Existing bike lanes on Wheeling Road between Business Center Drive and Kensington Road will be upgraded to buffered bike lanes.
• Bus stop pads will be added for existing bus stops.

Design: Fall 2022 – Spring 2023

Easement Acquisition: Spring 2023 – Summer 2023

Construction: Late Summer 2023 – Fall 2023

Shared Use Path Construction: Fall 2024

November 2024 - Work is complete. 

October 2024 - Shared Use Path Construction. 

Starting Monday, the sidewalk on the west side of Business Center Drive between Rand Road and Harvest Lane will be closed to replace it with a new shared-use path.  We expect the closure to last approximately 2 weeks, weather dependent.  A new shared use path will be constructed on the north side of Harvest Lane connecting Business Center Drive directly to the Kensington Business Center Paths.

Alternate route for pedestrians entering the Kensington Business Center from Rand Road includes of heading north on the sidewalk on the east side of Rand Road to Highland Avenue, then heading east on Highland Avenue to Eastman Drive and connecting to Wheeling Road at Holly Avenue.  (Please make this map look nicer if you include a map)

October 2023 – Roadway Resurfacing and Restriping Complete

February 2023 – Detailed Design Complete

Will access to any of the businesses change?

No.  All business access will be maintained; there will be no changes limiting access to individual businesses.