Five-mile stretch of Route 176 from Hawthorn Woods to Route 12 in Wauconda set for resurfacing
Like weeds in spring, another road project expected to increase travel times in central Lake County popped up Tuesday.
Work began in earnest on Route 176 east of Gilmer Road for what is expected to be a disruptive resurfacing project along the two-lane stretch from Hilltop Terrace in Hawthorn Woods to Route 12 in Wauconda.
The $2.3 million job calls for the removal and replacement of 2½ inches of asphalt surface, minor shoulder grading and removal and replacement of damaged curb and gutter along the 5.3-mile stretch, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
"It's a very long stretch," said Glenn Petko, the engineer of construction for the Lake County Division of Transporation. He isn't involved in this project but is affected because Route 176 is a main part of his commute.
"Now, I'll have to do some zigzagging like everybody else," said Petko, who lives in Cary and works in Libertyville.
Initial work started April 7 for the project that has an estimated completion of Aug. 15, according to IDOT spokeswoman Carson Quinn. Because it is a two-lane road, traffic will be flagger-controlled, allowing one alternating direction of traffic at a time during working hours, she added.
Petko said the project will skip either side of Fairfield Road at Route 176 because the intersection and approaches were rebuilt and widened during the past two construction seasons.
"They are going to gap our work," he said. While there wasn't a lot of detailed schedule information, Petko said operators at the county's PASSAGE traffic center will be in touch with IDOT and will post information on the website www.lakecountypassage.com.
"That's one resource to find out what's going on," he said.
Most of the route is wide open but the western portion of the project includes downtown Wauconda. According to IDOT figures, 5,750 vehicles traveling west on Route 176 approach Gilmer Road, but 12,500 continue west on Route 176 at that point. That reaches 13,800 vehicles per day on Route 176 just west of Route 12.
Curb and gutter replacement in the downtown area is well underway.
"They haven't told us when the actual grinding and overlay will start (in the village)," Village Administrator Doug Maxeiner said. Notifications of the pending work will be posted on the village Facebook page and electronic newsletters, he said.
Jeff Lencioni, owner of the popular Docks Bar & Grill on Bangs Lake in the construction zone, said he wasn't aware of what was happening.
"There's no signs, no cones. I haven't gotten any notification at all," Lencioni said.
Maxeiner, who at one time worked in McHenry, said that city started a small business loan program for those affected by extensive work on routes 120 and 31.
"I don't anticipate that for this project," he said of the Route 176 resurfacing.
As of this time, IDOT is scheduled to resurface approximately 35 miles of roadway in Lake County this year, according to Quinn.