advertisement

Lake County drivers can expect construction delays, but not like in past

Drivers still won't escape construction delays this summer, but planned road work in Lake County this season will be a reprieve compared to recent years.

Most of the 25 projects on the Lake County Division of Transportation's list this year involve resurfacing, culvert replacements or other maintenance-related work that can be completed more quickly than road widening or intersection improvements.

"We're kind of in a lull right now between the past big jobs and future jobs that are working their way through the system," said Glenn Petko, engineer of construction for LCDOT.

Only two widening projects are on the roster in 2017: the completion of Washington Street from Hainesville to Grayslake, which is in its second year; and Cedar Lake Road north of Route 120 in the Round Lake area, although a planned new three-lane road won't be built until 2018.

"We'll have a clean slate at the end of this year other than Cedar Lake," Petko said.

The county expects to have $94 million in road projects under construction this year, about $56 million of which carried over from 2016, according to Brooke Hooker, department spokeswoman.

That includes $36 million to widen two segments of Washington Street from west of Hainesville Road to Lake Street to five lanes, and to lower the road beneath the railroad tracks. Those are considered separate projects but are being done simultaneously.

"We pretty much finished up all the structural work with the walls and abutments. All we have to do is build the road. They'll start excavation as soon as the weather allows," Petko said.

Cedar Lake Road will be rebuilt and widened from Route 120 to Nippersink Road. The work includes construction of a multiuse path for the entire length on the east side and a connection to the existing trail system on the west in the Nippersink Forest Preserve.

Projects led by other agencies also will affect drivers in the Antioch and Gurnee areas.

Route 45 north of the Illinois border to Route 50 in Kenosha will be rebuilt and resurfaced, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. This will involve a full closure of Route 45 to County C until midsummer, when the northern portion will close. Drivers will be detoured east on Route 173.

"Many people who work up here live in Wisconsin," said Tim Grzesiakowski, executive director of Deerfield-based TMA of Lake-Cook.

Farther south on Route 45, the Illinois Department of Transporation work on the long-planned Millburn bypass will mean daily lane closures beginning in summer.

And in Gurnee, traffic shifts and off-peak lane closures are planned as the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority builds a barrier to separate the northbound Tri-State Tollway exit ramp to Grand Avenue.

Grzesiakowski said the overall picture in southern Lake and northern Cook counties this year is fairly benign, although next year's planned widening of Lake-Cook Road in Buffalo Grove already is creating ripples of dread.

Visit the highway construction tab at www.tmalakecook.org/ for a list and map of all projects by agency.

Long road for Washington Street improvements

Add $38 million in new roadwork to Lake County's existing projects

Cedar Lake Road realignment sparks hope in Round Lake

Accidents create need for changes at Gurnee tollway exit

  The railroad underpass on Washington Street just west of Lake Street in Grayslake is taking shape. The work is part of a $36 million project to improve Washington Street from Hainesville to Grayslake. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.