Washington Street to close

A main east-west route through central Lake County will be closed for several days beginning next week.

Washington Street between Hainesville Road and Route 83 will be closed to through traffic beginning at 7 a.m. Tuesday, May 31 for railroad track work at the Canadian National crossing.

The work, described by the railroad as a standard repair, is scheduled to be complete by evening on Saturday, June 4.

The signed detour route will be Route 83 to Rollins Road to Hainesville Road. Local traffic will be allowed on Washington Street from Hainesville Road and Route 83 to the crossing.

About 17,000 vehicles each day travel that stretch of Washington Street.

“We’re hopeful the railroad can get this done as quickly as possible but we really have no control over that,” said Al Giertych, assistant county engineer. “One thing that may be slightly in our favor is it’s a holiday week.”

Another advantage is Grayslake North and Grayslake Central high schools will be done for the year and the College of Lake County, which has its main entrance on Washington to the east, will be on break between the spring and summer sessions.

Hainesville Mayor Linda Soto said the closing could pose a “slight inconvenience” for residents. News of the closing will be posted on the village website.

Residents of the Haryan Farms and Highland Lake subdivisions in Grayslake could feel more of an impact.

The high use of Washington has been a continual priority for the Lake County Division of Transportation, which has widened several stretches to the east in recent years.

Meanwhile, planning continues on an aggressive schedule to widen the last stretch of Washington west of Route 83 to Hainesville Road.

“That will be a very big deal,” Soto said.

The project involves widening Washington to five lanes and building a railroad underpass. The county the next two years will acquire right of way and prepare construction plans.

“It is our objective to have that ready for construction letting in 24 months,” Giertych said. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2013.

The project will be split into two sections — Lake Street to Haryan Way, estimated at $17.7 million, and Haryan Way to Hainesville Road at an estimated $10 million.