Construction of new bridge to close Hart Road near Barrington High School for five months

Hart Road in Barrington, a key connection between Lake-Cook Road and Northwest Highway and a main access point to Barrington High School, will be closed for at least five months beginning Thursday while a new bridge over Flint Creek is installed.

The Lake County Division of Transportation's $3 million project involves removing three aging metal culverts and replacing it with the bridge. It's expected to be complete in early November.

Until then, there will be no through traffic on Hart Road from Northwest Highway to Lake-Cook Road (Main Street), though local traffic will be allowed on either side of the creek.

Access to the signalized entrance to the school, its athletic fields and nearby office buildings will remain open, but drivers coming from the north will have to take a detour through downtown Barrington, from Northwest Highway to Route 59 to Main Street.

An 8-foot-wide path for bicyclists and pedestrians also will be added on the east side of the new structure.

Marie Hansen, Barrington's director of development services, said the contractor has incentives to shorten the closure's duration, as well as penalties if the work does not finish on time.

Barrington originally planned to build a bridge over the creek to provide a crossing for bicyclists and pedestrians, but the village was able to coordinate with Lake County to widen the new bridge structure to incorporate a path, she said.

The village is contributing 20% to the cost of the project, which will amount to about $259,900. That's no more than it would have cost to construct a separate, village-owned structure, Hansen said.

Barrington also is building a separate multiuse path along Hart Road that will connect with the path being built at the Flint Creek Bridge. Barrington received an Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program grant for the work. The project cost is $695,800, 80% of which will be paid for by the grant.

For a map of the construction site, as well as the detour route, visit https://www.barrington-il.gov/news_detail_T7_R81.php.