Libertyville, be warned: Milwaukee Avenue work begins

Motorists who use Milwaukee Avenue through northern Libertyville can expect delays for the next seven weeks or so.

Work begins Wednesday to resurface about a mile and a half of the heavily traveled road from Route 137 south to Church Street in the downtown area.

Crews first will remove the frames and lids from most of the manholes in the pavement working north from Church Street. Once the frames are removed a plate is placed over the opening and a temporary patch is laid. The work is expected to take a few days to complete and will require lane closures.

Grinding the street surface is expected to begin Monday at Church Street and move north. The plan is to do a section each day across the entire width of the road, a process expected to take about six days for the entire length.

That portion of the project will not be done at night but could begin as early as 6 a.m.

About 24,000 vehicles use that stretch of Milwaukee each day, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Businesses along Milwaukee will remain open and accessible during construction, according to the village, and all planned outdoor activities, such as Out to Lunch and the farmer's market, will be held as scheduled.

Street parking will be impacted at times but adjoining streets and public lots in the rear of the businesses are options, officials said.

"There will be lane diversions throughout the project. Certainly when they get into the grinding operation we'll lose lanes," said Pat Sheeran, the village's project engineer.

Sheeran said there should not be a point where traffic is squeezed into one lane, meaning two-way traffic will be maintained. The sequence of work and schedule could change, however.

All work is to be completed within seven calendar weeks, not counting weather or other delays. Village staff expects the project to be done by the end of September.

A Lake County Division of Transportation project to install a new turn lane off Milwaukee onto westbound Winchester Road will proceed simultaneously, Sheeran said.