Diamond Lake Road could be closed until early September
Lake County transportation officials say it will be at least until early September before a section of Diamond Lake Road in Long Grove is repaired and traffic is back to normal after a pavement collapse.
The road was closed and a detour route put in place Friday after a culvert failure led a large section of the pavement at Indian Creek to collapse. Crews on Monday installed concrete barriers but have been monitoring the site and are expected to install a more permanent barrier as the road will be closed for some time.
Water from Indian Creek flows through two culverts beneath Diamond Lake Road about midway between Gilmer Road and Indian Creek Road. Culvert replacement was scheduled for next year, but one of the culverts deteriorated more rapidly than anticipated because of heavy rain, officials said, which led to the collapse. No injuries have been reported.
Several steps must be completed to replace the culvert and repair the road, according to transportation officials.
Officials are researching the fastest and most effective way to acquire the materials, revise the design plans, secure permits, and stage the necessary construction activities, according to Brooke Hooker, spokeswoman for the Lake County Division of Transportation.
Work also needs to be coordinated with utility companies and local school districts to plan for the opening of schools in August with a road closure and detour route in place, she added.
Typically, the design, fabrication and construction of the new culvert crossing would take several months, but the department wants to accelerate the schedule to complete the work and reopen the road to traffic by early September, according to Hooker. The culvert that failed is about 6½ feet tall and 14 feet in diameter.
Weather or other factors could disrupt construction and cause delays on what is considered an aggressive schedule, she added.
Diamond Lake Road at the site of the collapse is in a rural area and carries fewer than 4,000 vehicles per day south of Indian Creek Road. The detour is Gilmer Road and Route 83. No additional delays as a result have been noted, according to the department.