Millburn Strangler's days are numbered

It's a traffic snag that's been frustrating for so long, many motorists have given up hope of it ever being corrected.

The intersection of Route 45 at Grass Lake Road in Lindenhurst even has a nickname -- the Millburn Strangler -- for the historic bump-in-the-road community where traffic often grinds to a halt.

"It seems like as long as I can remember it's been bad, and I've been on the board 20 years," Lake County Board Chairman Suzi Schmidt said.

The solution won't come immediately, but it will be done. Of the 48 projects included on an ambitious list proposed by the county, the Strangler and widening a two-mile stretch of Quentin Road near Kildeer are locks.

Together, the pair will cost nearly $44 million. But their regional importance is so high that the county in its proposed plan dedicates the money from its new pool of sales tax revenue, authorized as part of the Regional Transportation Authority reform.

"I think the regional impact will be huge," Schmidt said. "It's not going to get done if we don't do it."

Even though it's a state route, a Millburn bypass was envisioned long ago. Problems occur because Route 45 is two lanes at that point with no turn lanes. Stop signs were first tried and later a traffic signal was installed, but neither was a solution.

Lindenhurst Mayor Susan Lahr considered it when she moved to town 10 years ago.

"We know because of that we couldn't go north of the Strangler," she said.

To bypass the sticking point, the county proposes to bend Route 45 to the west around the problem spot. Right-of-way for the improvement was set aside through Forest Trails when the subdivision was built.

In the southern part of the county, widening Quentin Road roughly from Route 22 to Cuba Road will be the last link in a five-lane stretch from Route 22 to Lake-Cook Road.

There are many steps before these two projects are built, but the plan is to have them done within six years. They are among a dozen "assembly line" projects the county has designated as a way to show tangible progress. The others are much smaller, and should be under way more quickly.

"The intent is to get these funds expended," said Al Giertych, assistant county engineer. "We don't want to wait six years before anybody sees some benefit."

The county expects to spend heavily on state routes, but it doesn't take the place of a statewide capital plan for other big-ticket projects.

"We've selected projects that are in the second tier of things the state probably won't get to with their capital program," Giertych said.

County leaders say the public doesn't really care if it's a state or county road, they just want relief. "I know there will be a healthy (bit) of skepticism," Lahr said. "We'll believe it when we see it."