Lake Zurich leaders approve 'long overdue' $5.1 million infrastructure project

Lake Zurich leaders have approved a $5.1 million plan for infrastructure improvements on the surface and beneath sections of Main Street and other roads near the village's namesake lake.

The project calls for the old pipes beneath Main Street, Mionke Drive, Lake Street and south Old Rand Road to be replaced and for many of the streets to be repaved.

"It's long overdue for that area to get this work done," Trustee Marc Spacone said before the vote. "You're talking about 100-year-old infrastructure when you're talking about some of these pipes."

The plan calls for nearly $3.9 million to be spent on construction work, $250,000 on engineering and design and nearly $1 million set aside as a contingency fund for unexpected costs.

Village Public Works Director Mike Brown told the board Monday night the contingency fund is higher than usual because of how likely there are to be surprises underground.

"The existing water main is 70 to 90 years of age," Brown said.

He added that because the old pipes are brittle and might not be exactly where they are expected, breaks are likely to happen along the way.

Brown cited the potential for discovering special waste where a gas station used to be along Old Rand Road and possibly having to pump lake water out of work sites, especially because the lake level is high now.

The project also calls for some streetscape improvements and for the overhead utilities on South Old Rand to be buried.

"It's a big number," Spacone said of the $5.1 million price tag. "However, it's a big job. At the end of the day, when people flush their toilets or turn on their sinks, that stuff is going to work once this is all replaced, and that's the goal."

Brown said the work likely will start in late April or early May and run until the end of the year.

Brown noted the roadwork will not interfere with the village's 10th annual Rock the Block celebration set for Sept. 9 on Main Street.