Gurnee hosting open house to publicize road construction projects
Gurnee officials will host an open house for residents and others to review plans for major road construction about to start on the village's east side.
Crews will be on Belle Plaine Avenue between Country Club Avenue on the north and Keith Avenue on the south. Just to the west, reconstruction will occur on Magnolia Avenue, from Florida Avenue on the north to Pacific Avenue on the south.
Gurnee officials will discuss the east-side road construction plans during the casual open house from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, in the gymnasium of Spaulding Elementary School, 2000 Belle Plaine. Village Engineer Scott Drabicki is among the officials expected to attend.
Assistant to the Village Administrator Erik Jensen said officials are doing everything possible to ensure commuters are aware of the road construction before it starts.
"This open house is kind of part of that outreach strategy," Jensen said.
The reconstruction of Magnolia and Belle Plaine will cost about $1.8 million, Jensen said. He said the work should start next week and is expected to last through the end of road construction season later this year.
Gurnee is starting an ambitious capital improvement plan as part of a $60.6 million budget for 2015-16 that begins Friday, May 1.
About $6.3 million has been set aside for transportation system upgrades, described in the budget as the largest road rehabilitation program in village history. Officials said a local sales tax boost from .50 percent to 1 percent, effective since January, will allow the village to pay for the work.
Drabicki acknowledged the work on Magnolia and Belle Plaine will be among the larger construction projects handled by the village.
"While we are excited to be performing these improvements for the community, the construction process can be very frustrating to residents and businesses," Drabicki said.
Other village-controlled roads pegged for reconstruction will be in the Ravinia Woods, Stonebrook, Pembrook and Country Trails subdivisions.
Beyond the village roads, two significant construction projects under state control are continuing in Gurnee's Grand Avenue corridor.
Officials said work is about half done on the Grand Avenue interchange at the Tri-State Tollway. When finished, it is expected to create a smoother traffic flow and include a ramp detection system to monitor Six Flags Great America congestion. Construction also is about halfway home on the Grand Avenue bridge over the Des Plaines River.
Jensen said the state's planned resurfacing of Route 21, from Washington Street to Route 41, is expected to begin in August or September. Also targeted to start in late summer is a Union Pacific railroad bridge reconstruction at Grand and Route 41, along with state-led intersection improvements there.