Peterson Road work eyed

That the landscape of Peterson, a county road stretching about four miles from Route 60 on the west to Route 45 on the east, would change, has been forecast for years.

Though some of the corn and soybean fields have given way, large tracts have remained open. Working with communities along the route, county officials want to set the foundation for nearly $42 million in road improvements along the corridor before or as the open fields are filled.

The agreement, pending in Libertyville, Grayslake and Mundelein, outlines the road work to be done in six "highway improvement areas" and how it will be paid.

The Libertyville village board this week directed staff to prepare an ordinance for a vote Oct. 13, but it has not been discussed by the other boards yet.

"It's good for everybody," Lake County Administrator Barry Burton said. "It will alleviate some of the congestion in central Lake County, but it really makes it attractive for economic development."

Hainesville, Round Lake Park and Round Lake can be added to the agreement.

Under the agreement, Lake County is responsible for the design and construction of a given improvement and agrees to pay half the cost. The other half would come from fees paid by developers on a per-acre basis.

Those fees would not include the costs of improvements specifically relating to access to the development, such as turn lanes or traffic signals.

The county also will decide when to begin designing the improvements, although it must do so within six months of a "trigger event" along the route. Construction must begin as soon as possible, according to the agreement but within two years at the latest.

The idea is to have road plans under way and funding in place before a new development is open for business.

"We reached out to the other communities and said, `We have all this area that will be developed over time, let's set the transportation improvements ahead of time,'" Burton said.

Some of the work already is spoken for. Grayslake, under terms of a previous agreement with the county, is responsible for upgrading the intersections of Alleghany Road/Route 120, Peterson/Alleghany and, Peterson/Route 83.

The first project is complete. Grayslake is scheduled to pay the county $2 million by Nov. 1 and another $2 million by June 30 to design and build the other two.

The county has fast-tracked some work along the route. Peterson, between routes 45 and 83, is scheduled to be widened to four lanes next spring. By 2016, the entire length is expected to be widened, and Alleghany and Winchester roads will be extended.