Will 2-mile stretch of Buffalo Grove Road get more lanes?
The Lake County Board is set to approve spending up to $26 million to widen Buffalo Grove Road between Deerfield Parkway and Route 22.
Improvements to the intersection of Buffalo Grove and Aptakisic roads, which is near the middle of that roughly 2-mile stretch, are planned, too. Turn lanes will be added at major intersections as well, and new sidewalks and paths also are envisioned.
The segment of Buffalo Grove Road being eyed for widening mostly runs north and south. About 17,000 vehicles use the stretch of road daily, county spokesman Alex Carr said.
The corridor has one lane in each direction now. Under the county's plan, it will have two northbound lanes, two southbound lanes and a median with landscaping.
South of Deerfield Road, Buffalo Grove Road has four traffic lanes all the way to Lake-Cook Road and into Cook County. North of Route 22, it has one lane running each way, plus the occasional turn lanes, until it becomes Fairway Drive in Vernon Hills.
Lake County already is widening Weiland Road, a north-south street east of Buffalo Grove Road, between Woodstone Drive and a point south of Deerfield Parkway.
Adding lanes to Buffalo Grove Road should further improve traffic flow in the area, officials said.
"I'm really excited about this plan," said county board member Adam Didech, a Buffalo Grove Democrat. "Together with the Weiland Road expansion that's already underway, going north and south in Buffalo Grove is going to get much easier."
Buffalo Grove Police Chief Steven Casstevens believes the proposed project will keep drivers from seeking alternative side routes through residential neighborhoods in that area.
"I think it will be much safer," Casstevens said.
Planning for the Buffalo Grove Road project began in 2015 with the hiring of an engineer to design it. If this latest round of spending is approved, construction will begin this spring.
The work will be split into two parts. Construction between Aptakisic Road and Route 22 will occur this year, Carr said, while construction south of Aptakisic Road will be saved for 2021.
The widening will require Buffalo Grove to give the county land along the roadway. Additionally, village sidewalks and lights along the route will need to be modified, as will water mains and sewers.
Buffalo Grove officials approved those plans in December and agreed to reimburse the county nearly $1.7 million for some of the engineering and construction costs.
The project is expected to cost about $21.6 million, but up to $26 million is being set aside for the effort because professional bidding hasn't yet occurred. That's expected in February, with board approval of the necessary contracts in March or April, Carr said.
The county board's public works, planning and transportation committee gave the project the green light Wednesday morning. Now it'll go to the financial and administrative committee for debate Thursday morning. That session is set for 8:30 a.m. at the county government center, 18 N. County St., Waukegan.
The full board will review the plan during a committee-of-the-whole session Friday. That meeting's at 8:30 a.m. at the county's central permit facility, 500 Winchester Road.
The board likely will vote on the plan Tuesday.