Libertyville assembling a to-do list of road repairs
Seven years after voters in Libertyville approved a $20 million program to repair local roads, engineers again will be hitting the streets to create a new to-do list.
Village officials recently approved a contract for $35,400 with Gewalt-Hamilton Associates Inc., of Vernon Hills to assess the condition of all 90 miles of pavement in the village. The study will include cost estimates and allow the village to prioritize projects in its annual road repair program beginning next year.
"It will help us moving forward as to which streets get done first," said Public Works Director Paul Kendzior.
While all village streets are included on the study list, attention will be focused on the 60% (50 miles) that were not addressed in the voter-approved program that began in 2012.
"We're going to really look hard at the 60% of remaining streets," Kendzior said.
Because of favorable prices, what originally was envisioned as a five-year program was stretched to six years. The last of the voter-approved funds were spent last year and available resources have dropped significantly.
Libertyville had been doing about $2.5 million per year in what are known as shave-and-pave projects, but that dropped to about $700,000 this construction season.
And it will remain in that ballpark as there are several years of payments left on the bond issues that funded the accelerated repair program. That means dedicated funding for local road work will be limited.
"Of that 60% there's not enough money to do them even over a 10-year period," Kendzior said. "I think we're probably going to go out 20 years."
At this point, it is unlikely the village again would ask voters to approve funding specifically for road repairs.
"It's not contemplated," said Mayor Terry Weppler.
"We're done with road referendum funds but there's still work to be done. It (Gewalt-Hamilton study) will show us every street in town and what we have to concentrate on next," he added.
Of more immediate importance for village officials is determining how to fund $45.5 million in projects outlined in a villagewide master plan to handle stormwater and reduce flooding.
At the end of May, Libertyville borrowed $3.7 million by selling bonds to fund various projects. About $1.5 million is targeted for rehabilitation of the Charles Brown reservoir, which receives stormwater from a 550-acre area including Ames, Burdick, Carter and Dawes streets, Crane Boulevard and Rockland Road.
Another $1 million will be used to double the size of storm sewers as part of the Rockland Road reconstruction between Milwaukee Avenue and the Des Plaines River, which just got underway. An 84-inch diameter pipe will accommodate future flood reduction work.
The Rockland Road project will stretch over two years. Federal funds will pay 80% of the $6.14 million cost, but Libertyville is paying the extra cost for the larger storm sewer.