How a planned bike path will close a key gap in central Lake County

A project pending official approval in Lake County will close a key gap in a bike path network ultimately linking downtown Round Lake with the Des Plaines River Trail.

Planned for the coming construction season, the $4.4 million project calls for installing a bike path and associated sidewalks along a 1.5-mile stretch of busy Washington Street in central Lake County from Grayslake and Third Lake to Warren Township near Gurnee.

The new bike path would be built on the south side of Washington Street from Mainsail Drive to Route 45 and on the north side from Route 45 to Almond Road.

New sidewalk on the north side from Sextant Drive to Mainsale Drive and on the south from Tangueray Drive to Almond Road is also planned.

“We started working on this in 2021,” said Shane Schneider, director of the Lake County Division of Transportation and county engineer. “It's a significant connection.”

Schneider presented an overview Wednesday to the Lake County board's public works and transportation committee, which recommended approval of the $4.42 million low bid by Copenhaver Construction Inc., of Union.

An initial public forum was held in summer 2022 for feedback on preliminary alignments and the preferred alternative presented that October. The plan also was discussed with homeowners along Washington Street in Grayslake and Third Lake.

“It resulted in residents feeling like they were heard,” said committee member Carissa Casbon. “It will be game changing for connectivity in my district.”

This segment will close one of two gaps in a 9.5-mile stretch from the Des Plaines River Trail to downtown Round Lake.

“Having this east-west connection is huge for this area,” said Jennifer Clark, committee chair.

Ongoing improvements along Washington Street at Hunt Club Road in Gurnee, entering its second year of construction, will fill the second gap.

The off road path on Washington Street ends at Grandview Avenue west of Hainesville Road with bike lanes and a sidewalk continuing to Cedar Lake Road. A connection to the regional Millennium Trail will be complete when the long-planned Cedar Lake Road realignment is finished, according to LCDOT.

The county board's financial and administrative committee will consider the contract Thursday and the full board will vote Tuesday. Work would begin when weather permits with completion planned for the end of October.

A bike path on the west side of Route 45 from Washington Street to Dada Drive is in the Illinois Department of Transportation's multiyear plan but a construction date has not been set, Schneider said.