End is near for road construction mess in Buffalo Grove

It's been a character builder.

Drivers navigating through the construction mess in Buffalo Grove have endured months of frustrating delays as crews worked to repair a 30-year-old stretch of Arlington Heights Road.

Concrete patching and curb replacements started last August on a strip from Lake-Cook Road to Route 83, in southern Lake County.

But the collective blood pressure of drivers should drop in the coming weeks as the $1.5 million project winds down. Transportation officials say the more than 1,000 barricades will be removed and lanes opened in about three weeks depending on weather.

"The project is to be wrapped up by mid-May next year, however the major traffic impact work should be done by mid-December of this year," said Glen Petko, Lake County Division of Transportation engineer. Petko said crews will be back in the spring for landscaping work, but that won't create the same headaches as the roadwork.

The project has not only frustrated drivers, but also affected business owners.

Gennady Kaganovsky, who owns Milana's Hair and Nails Design Spa on Arlington Heights Road, said it came at the worst time.

"It's been slow already because of the recession and now this," he said. "Our customers have been complaining that it's hard to get to our lot, especially during rush hour."

With other construction projects just north of his salon on Route 83 in Long Grove, Kaganovsky questioned why the work couldn't be staggered.

Sometimes it can't be avoided, said Al Giertych, assistant engineer for the county transportation division.

"We try to coordinate projects to minimize the impact on drivers, but it's unavoidable at times," he said. "The Arlington Heights Road project had been under way for some time before the Illinois Department of Transportation began intersection work on routes 83 and 22."

Lift Ezra, who owns the Shalom kosher Bakery on Arlington Heights Road, said she's had to deal with occasional construction projects in her 15 years of business, but none were as big as this one.

"It has been very difficult for people to turn into our place with all the lane closures," Ezra said. "Business has definitely been slower and we really saw it fall off during the holidays last September."

Buffalo Grove resident Dorothy Shapiro said she'd rather take a 5-mile detour than inch along at a snail's pace.

"This has been painful, to say the least," Shapiro said. "It's worth it for me to go the extra distance. I will be thrilled when this is over."