Book Road in south Naperville has been closed in stages for most of this year so crews can lay a pipe four and a half feet across, about ten feet under the pavement. When it's done, the pipe will carry water to Oswego, Yorkville and Montgomery. Its route accounts for every closure and detour between 75th Street and the Tall Grass Greenway since last winter.
The project is the DuPage Water Commission's WaterLink pipeline, a roughly 30-mile extension built to deliver Lake Michigan drinking water to those three communities. Their current supply is the Ironton-Galesville aquifer, which according to the project will not be able to keep up with their growing populations. The work runs through south Naperville because the new line has to connect to the Commission's existing distribution network, and that connection is on Book Road.
A Regional Pipe With Its Starting Point on Book Road
The Daily Herald reported in September that the project costs $400 million, started construction in December 2025 and is expected to finish in 2028. The pipe is 54 inches in diameter and sits about 10 feet beneath the roadway. In that article, project spokesperson Jessica James described the stakes for the receiving towns.
"It's important because these communities are currently on an aquifer that is going to run out of water as early as 2050."
The planning took years before any digging started. The three communities began studying long-term water sources nearly ten years ago, and in 2021 they chose Lake Michigan water from the DuPage Water Commission. Funding comes from U.S. EPA WIFIA loans, the Illinois State Revolving Fund and local general obligation bonds issued by each of the three towns. In April, Shaw Local reported that the Yorkville area expects its first water by summer 2028 and Montgomery by 2030.
That's why the pipe is widest in Naperville. The main under Book Road, 95th Street and 248th Avenue is 54 inches. Farther along, crews working west on Wolf's Crossing in Oswego are laying 36-inch main. The connection point and the largest pipe are both in south Naperville.
The Route, in the Order It Moves
WaterLink splits the project into seven pipeline packages. Book Road is the first. Two of them account for nearly all of the disruption in south Naperville, and they run in this order:
- Book Road, heading south. This package connects to the Commission's network in Naperville and runs south to Frontier Park. The stretch from Rickert Drive to 75th Street reopened Aug. 28, and the next section north of 83rd Street was scheduled to reopen in late September.
- The turn west at Frontier Park. The "Main Line East" package turns west at Frontier Park and runs mostly through a ComEd corridor in Naperville.
- 95th Street and 248th Avenue. The 54-inch main is already installed under both roads and is being pressure-tested before the pavement is restored.
- Into the Tall Grass Greenway. Crews are laying main in the ComEd right-of-way from 248th Avenue to Tall Grass Drive, and the work has reached the Tall Grass neighborhood and the Greenway.
The Book Road work has moved south over the year, from Rickert Drive past 75th, 83rd, 87th and 95th, and in the last week of October past Conan Doyle Road. The west branch is ahead of it, with its pipe already in the ground.
Where Each Segment Stands in Early November
WaterLink describes every timeframe below as weather permitting and subject to change.
| Segment | Current arrangement | Expected through |
|---|---|---|
| Book Road, 83rd to 87th Street | Closed to all traffic. Projected to reopen at the end of October. NCTV17 still reported it closed on Oct. 29 | Projected end of October |
| Book Road, 87th to 95th Street | Southbound only, local traffic | Into early December |
| Book Road, 95th Street to Conan Doyle Road | Southbound only, local traffic | Through November |
| Book Road, Conan Doyle Road to Wagner Road | Fully closed since Oct. 29 | About 5 p.m., Nov. 19 |
| Book Road, Wagner Road to 103rd Street | Two-way local traffic | Ongoing |
| 248th Avenue, 95th Street to Trumpet Avenue | Closed to all traffic | Restoration late November or early December |
| 248th Avenue, Trumpet Avenue to just south of Lapp Lane | Local traffic only, shifted to southbound lanes | Into the fall |
| 95th Street near 248th Avenue | Shifted to westbound lanes, eastbound lanes closed | Restoration late November or early December |
The detours mostly come from the southbound-only rule. Between 87th and 95th, through traffic is sent to 87th Street on the north or 95th Street on the south. Between 95th and Conan Doyle, northbound drivers are routed to Plainfield-Naperville Road or Route 59. Westbound 95th Street also narrows to one lane through the Book Road intersection. On the west branch, drivers heading south on 248th Avenue cannot turn right on red at Trumpet Avenue.
During the Conan Doyle to Wagner closure, NCTV17 reported that the Park District building at Book Road and Conan Doyle Road stays reachable from the north on Book Road and from the east on Conan Doyle Road.
Tall Grass Drive is next on the west branch. WaterLink expects to close it from Mistflower Lane to the northern edge of the Tall Grass Greenway, with local traffic allowed from Looking Post Court to the Greenway boundary. NCTV17 reported a closure north of Mistflower Lane starting Oct. 26 for a few days, with several more weeks of work in the area.
Frontier Sports Complex Sits at the Turn
Frontier Park is where the pipe turns west, so the work there affects the trail network as well as traffic. The Naperville Park District announced that parts of the multi-purpose fields and trail at Frontier Sports Complex would close to the public starting Nov. 1, and said it would contact affected residents, program participants and affiliate groups directly.
Frontier's paved trails do more than loop the park. They link west to the Tall Grass Greenway Trail by a pedestrian bridge over Route 59, and east across Book Road to Ashbury Park and Greenway. The construction is on the same east-west line, with Book Road to the east and the Tall Grass Greenway to the west. The Park District has posted alternate trail routes on its Frontier Sports Complex page. If you walk, run or ride through Frontier, check that page before a weekend loop that crosses Book Road or goes over Route 59.
Why the Arrangement on Book Road Keeps Changing
The project itself has said Book Road would be the hardest stretch. In the Daily Herald article, James said crews knew the road would be difficult because it runs through a heavily residential area where some streets have only one way in and out. She also acknowledged that residents had voiced complaints and concerns about traffic.
Some of the changes came from that feedback. The stretch between 87th and 95th first carried two-way traffic, then switched to southbound only once crews decided two-way travel was not the safest setup. The Daily Herald quoted James saying the team "really listened to the residents to make sure we made that corridor … as safe as possible."
The ground has also caused problems. On Sunday, Sept. 27, a sinkhole opened near the WaterLink work at Book Road and 95th Street. NCTV17 reported that the project spokesperson attributed it to sandy soils washing into the work area, and that no injuries or accidents occurred.
When the Pressure Moves Off Book Road
The route also shows when things should get easier. The Book Road package ends at Frontier Park, and from there the main runs mostly through a ComEd corridor instead of under streets. James told the Daily Herald, "(Traffic) will get better once we turn into the ComEd right-of-way."
That relief will not come all at once. WaterLink says more closures will follow as the work moves south on Book Road, and that total construction on Book Road is expected to last into 2027. The nearer dates to watch are Nov. 19 for Conan Doyle to Wagner, late November or early December for 95th Street and 248th Avenue, and early December for the southbound-only stretch between 87th and 95th. WaterLink posts weekly construction updates and a live project map at waterlinkpipeline.com. Those are the best places to check what has changed since the last newsletter.
A multi-year construction corridor affects how a home on or near Book Road should be shown, priced and timed. If you are planning a sale or purchase between 83rd Street and the Tall Grass Greenway and want to match your timing to the project schedule, Jill Clark can go through the segment-by-segment calendar with you. Request a Private Consultation.
