Hawley Street widening in Mundelein expected to begin in earnest this summer
The nitty-gritty of disruptive construction may be a few months away, but important steps are being taken in advance of the reconstruction and widening of Hawley Street in Mundelein.
Lake County officials next week are expected to approve an agreement with Mundelein as one of the final steps before work begins. Plans call for widening Hawley from just east of Seymour Avenue to Midlothian Road to three lanes, installing new signalized intersections, replacing water mains, sanitary sewer lines and sidewalks, and constructing a bike path as part of a the project.
The intergovernmental agreement appropriates $11.7 million in county sales tax funds for the project and pegs the village's reimbursement share at $2.24 million.
“When we saw that we were very excited,” said Adam Boeche, the village's public works and engineering director. The agreement also calls for the village to transfer to the county jurisdiction of Hawley between Midlothian Road and Seymour Avenue.
The project has been on the to-do list since about 2008, Boeche said. The roughly one-mile stretch is a commercial area at the intersection and east of Route 45. To the west is a residential area, as well as Mundelein High School and Sandburg Middle School.
Improvements include: a center-turn lane to be added on Hawley; installation of traffic signals and connection to the county's PASSAGE system at California and Seymour avenues; modifications to the signals and equipment at Route 45 (Lake Street) and Midlothian Road; alterations to the Sandburg Middle School east parking lot; construction of an eastbound to southbound right-turn lane at Route 45; and the eastward extension of the Millennium Trail bike path from Midlothian Road to Route 45.
“For the village, it's a major roadway improvement,” Boeche said. “Formalizing the intergovernmental agreement (with the county) is one of the last steps,” before the project can go out to bid, he added.
About a year ago, the village offered about $202,400 to acquire about three dozen properties to accommodate the work. The village is working to secure the last few pieces of right of way needed for the project, according to Thomas Somodji, project manager for the Lake County Division of Transportation.
Utility relocations are underway or will soon begin and will continue until the end of the year. The county is working toward a contract letting in May, and if that happens, construction would start in June or July, Somodji said.
The project is expected to cover two construction seasons.