County leaders celebrating end of Washington Street project

Lake County leaders on Friday will celebrate the nearly complete Washington Street Thoroughfare Project in central Lake County at the new underpass in Grayslake built as part of the work.

The two-year, $53 million project included the widening to five lanes of two segments of Washington Street from west of Hainesville Road to Lake Street.

The project covered the final stretch of the 11-mile length of Washington Street from Round Lake east to Green Bay Road in Waukegan. The entire stretch of the road has been widened and improved through a process that began about 25 years ago.

It also is the final project in Lake County's Challenge Bond Program, which represents a total of over $170 million of transportation improvements funded by the county.