Levee 37 work continues along the Des Plaines River

Work has resumed on Levee 37 and while drivers and residents may be inconvenienced this summer, it will be worth it, said Mount Prospect Village Manager Mike Janonis.

The traffic disruption and noise is especially severe in the area of Milwaukee and River roads, where workers are driving sheet piling and preparing to pour concrete. Work resumed a few weeks ago after a winter hiatus.

"It's been a mess," Janonis said. "It will still be a mess, but people who live and drive in that area are used to it. And when project is over, they'll notice a big difference."

Workers are also constructing a pumping station on the west side of River Road near Lake Avenue Woods Grove just north of Euclid Avenue.

Work on the $26 million Levee 37 project started in March 2009 and should be finished late this year or early 2011, Janonis said.

A levee is basically a huge wall that protects homes and property from flooding - in this case, from the Des Plaines River. Levee 37 is about 2,000 feet long and will be built along the east side of River Road and Milwaukee Avenue, between Euclid Avenue and Palatine Road.

The flood control project is expected to prevent the destruction of Mount Prospect and Prospect Heights homes and businesses whenever the river floods during major storms. About 600 residences and dozens of businesses will be protected.

In August 2007, the region was hit with a major deluge that flooded the area near the river, which is part of a 150-mile tributary of the Mississippi River.

It was a replay of a 1987 flood that overwhelmed the area, and it prompted officials in Mount Prospect and Prospect Heights to redouble efforts to get the stalled levee project moving forward.

The Levee 37 project took years to get off the ground, as many agencies had to sign off, including the Army Corp of Engineers, Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.

The vast majority of the project is being paid for with state and federal money. Together Mount Prospect and Prospect Heights have contributed about $500,000, Janonis said.