East Lake County Construction Projects Planned For Spring, Summer

WAUKEGAN, IL — State transportation officials announced four new road construction projects are set to get underway this spring and summer in east Lake County.

In addition to the $11.25 million in state funding for upcoming road resurfacing projects, the Illinois Department of Transportation, or IDOT, this week announced nearly $32 million was also heading to a pair of ongoing projects — the replacement of a pump station in Lake Forest and a railroad bridge in Gurnee.

"These projects represent a significant investment in the East Lake County area and are a big step forward in our work to improve safety, mobility and create economic opportunity for years to come," said Omer Osman, acting transportation secretary, in a statement. "We're asking drivers to be patient, slow down and pay extra attention driving in and around any work zone."

In Lake Forest, the $12 million project to replace the pumping station at Deerpath Road and Route 41 got underway in the fall of 2020. It includes plans to resurface Deerpath from Route 41 to Golf Lake, along with new sidewalks, ADA-compliant ramps and dedicated turn lanes.

Later this year, Deerpath Road will be cut down to a single lane of traffic with bridge signal assistance for about a month, according to IDOT. The project is scheduled to be complete in fall 2020.

In Gurnee, the removal and replacement of a Union Pacific railroad bridge over Grand Avenue at Route 41 started in 2017 and is expected to be completed this summer.

The $19.8 effort includes the reconstruction and widening of Grand Avenue, also known as Illinois Route 132, and the southbound Route 41 ramp, according to IDOT.

---

Other upcoming projects announced by IDOT officials this week include the following:

Resurfacing Route 41 for about 1,700 feet south of Grand Avenue in Gurnee is due to cost $1.1 million, with work set to begin this summer and conclude in the fall.

The $2.74 million project to resurface Illinois Route 60 from the Des Plaines River in Mettawa to Riverwoods Road in Mundelein will also begin in the summer ahead of planned completion in the fall.

Starting in the spring, Green Bay Road will be resurfaced from the Canadian National railroad in Lake Forest to Route 120 in Park City. The $3.1 million project will be complete in the fall.

Sheridan Road will be resurfaced from Greenwood Road in Waukegan to Russell Road in Winthrop Harbor. The $4.3 million project is scheduled to begin in the spring and finish in the fall.

All four upcoming road resurfacing projects will include new ADA-compliant sidewalk ramps and require daytime daily lane closures, according to the transportation agency.

The $43 million in state spending on the six projects comes from the $45 billion Rebuild Illinois capital bill passed in 2019 and aimed at funding investments in roads, bridges, transit systems, parks, education and water infrastructure.

The bill also provided $4 billion for the Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees Metra, Pace and the Chicago Transportation Authority.

Not seeing a construction project that your community needs? Tell us in the survey below: