Cedar Lake Road project to connect to Nippersink trail
The proposed widening of Cedar Lake Road north of Route 120 in Round Lake is straightforward as a construction project, but the plan also includes aspects that would benefit trail users and residents, officials say.
Lake County transportation and forest preserve district officials are working on an agreement that would allow for the reconstruction of the road from two to three lanes, with future expansion capability. A trail on the east side of the improved street and a crosswalk at Route 120 to connect with a trail extension from the Nippersink Forest Preserve are part of the plan.
The road work involves about a mile of Cedar Lake Road from Route 120 to Nippersink Road. County officials and consultants will be present, and exhibits will be displayed, during an open house public hearing from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Magee Middle School, 500 Cedar Lake Road, Round Lake.
Chuck Gleason, project manager the Lake County Division of Transporation, said the best way to keep traffic flowing is to provide the capacity for left turns. This project would accomplish that and allow for expansion to five lanes, although that is not envisioned for several years. The county in recent years built an extension of Cedar Lake Road south of Route 120 in the three-lane configuration, and the Illinois Department of Transportation widened the intersection.
"We're just getting prepared for the future," Gleason said.
So is the Lake County Forest Preserve District, which owns the land west of Cedar Lake Road including the Nippersink preserve, a former campground that was acquired in stages beginning in 2002.
Hundreds of homes in the area would benefit, according to Randy Seebach, director of planning, conservation and development for the forest district.
"Our hope is this is the opportunity to get all those residents connected to the Nippersink Forest Preserve and eventually to the Millennium Trail," Seebach said.
As part of most road projects, the county is required to provide for stormwater detention and in this case may be able to do that without digging a hole. The forest district on Nov. 1 took control of the former 120 RV sales facility adjoining Nippersink and will receive a stormwater credit when existing pavement there is removed. Under a proposed agreement, that credit would be exchanged for work to be done by the county.
"We'd prefer that restoration rather than another detention facility on our property," Seebach said.
Gleason said the $6 million project could begin in 2016. The forest preserve district has budgeted $400,000 in 2015-16 to make the three-quarter-mile trail connection.