Work underway on Knowles Road bike path in Gurnee
Work is underway to build an 8-foot-wide bike path along Knowles Road on Gurnee's west side that was cited last July by a residents group as the top priority on a list of 30 needed sidewalk and bike path projects.
The path will run north about 1,000 feet from Dada Drive and Route 45 and connect to the existing east-west village bike path. The village announced last week a contractor is completing installation of the base material and is expected to begin paving soon, weather permitting. The estimated cost of the project is $125,000.
The reason the project was at the top of the list assembled by the Blue Ribbon Commission on Walkability and Biking is because it will link the existing village bike path, which stretches across town for miles, to Route 45.
Some time in the next year or two, the Lake County Forest Preserve District will build a similar path along Sunshine Avenue, just west of Route 45, that will connect the new Knowles Road path to the Millennium Trail in the Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve, said Jack Linehan, the assistant to the village administrator.
The commission was formed after the development of the village's 2016-21 strategic plan. Sidewalk infrastructure and walkability was noted as a top priority among residents who provided feedback during the strategic plan's development.
The commission worked hard to identify projects and even recommended government agencies the village should partner with, where necessary, to complete projects.
Mayor Kristina Kovarik was pleased with the commission's work and said the project list would help the village know where to get the best bang for its buck.
"You guys have exceeded all of my expectations," Kovarik said in July. "I can promise you this will not sit on the shelf ... this is great and very useful."