More paving coming to North Shore Bike Path in Lake County

A nearly six-mile stretch of the North Shore Bike Path through eastern and central Lake County is being paved to improve ride quality and make maintenance easier.

The path stretches between Lake Bluff and Mundelein, paralleling Route 176 the whole way. Although some parts are paved, most of it is limestone gravel.

The path will get a fresh layer of asphalt between Route 43 in Lake Bluff and Brice Avenue in Mundelein. About 1.6 miles of the path east of Route 43 already is paved and won't be touched.

"We had heard from the biking community that they typically prefer paved paths, and in talking with our maintenance staff they agree it's easier to maintain," Lake County transportation division spokeswoman Brooke Hooker said.

Crews started the work last week. It should wrap up by late September.

In addition to paving, crews are improving landscaping along the path and replacing the bumpy tiles that warn people with visual disabilities of a break in the path, maintenance engineer Kevin Kerrigan said.

The project is expected to cost more than $500,000.

Mechanical counters installed by the transportation division on the path near Libertyville indicated 47,270 people have used the path there so far this year, about 193 people per day. The path was busiest on weekends in June and July, the data showed, and bicyclists have significantly outnumbered pedestrians.

The North Shore path links with some of the region's most popular trails.

At its eastern end in Lake Bluff, the path connects to the Robert McClory Bike Path, which stretches more than 26 miles between Highland Park and the Wisconsin border.

Near the western end in the Libertyville area, the path links with the Des Plaines River Trail, which runs more than 31 miles between Deerfield and the Wisconsin state line.

Transportation officials see the North Shore path and similar bike trails not merely as recreational opportunities, but as alternate travel options that help people get to jobs, bus stops and train stations.

"We try to invest in bike paths that carry more users longer distances (and) that other local agencies can connect to," Hooker said.