Nippersink trail connection near Round Lake wrapping up

Construction of a pedestrian boardwalk as part of a trail connection from Cedar Lake Road west to the Nippersink Forest Preserve near Round Lake is wrapping up this week.

The work on the site of a former RV and sales and storage facility is part of a larger project by the Lake County Division of Transportation to rebuild and widen Cedar Lake Road to three lanes, extending 4,400 feet from just north of Route 120 to just south of Nippersink Road.

The forest preserve owns the property to the west of Cedar Lake Road, including Nippersink, a former campground it acquired in stages beginning in 2002.

Along with the Nippersink connection, which will be paved in the spring, LCDOT has been working with the Lake County Forest Preserve District on a multipurpose path for the length of the project on the east side of Cedar Lake Road.

Besides the construction of a boardwalk, which will conclude work for the season, landscaping on the trail connection site included planting 290 trees.

Work on various components of the main project this year included the replacement of a large culvert in Squaw Creek that caused Cedar Lake Road to be closed for two months. Staging construction in this manner will allow the entire $6 million project to be complete next year, according to LCDOT.

Starting May 1, Cedar Lake Road will be closed to northbound traffic for three months.

"By the end of July, we'll be substantially done," said Matt Mitchell, resident engineer.

Visit the project website at http://lakecountyil.gov/3398/Cedar-Lake-Rd.