The deaths of three men at a dam on the Fox River are raising questions about why the hazard wasn’t addressed sooner.

The Department of Natural Resources plans to begin construction of a newly-designed dam within weeks.

They insist the project’s timing is unrelated to the recent drowning deaths in Yorkville.

And they say designing the new dam and obtaining all the necessary permits took several years to complete.

But the mayor of Yorkville, Art Prochaska, says the city expected construction to begin sooner.

“We originally were told that the reconstruction was going to begin last summer, and then for some reason it was postponed,” Prochaska says.

Even had construction started last year, it may not have prevented last week’s deaths.

The project is expected to take up two years to complete and building a special boat chute will take a bit longer.

And a group that opposes the rebuilding, Friends of the Fox River, says the only safe dam is no dam at all.