Lake Co. Releases Road Improvement Plan

LAKE COUNTY, IL — The Lake County Division of Transportation has released its five-year plan for road improvement projects. But local transportation officials say some projects may need to be delayed if funding brought in by local transportation revenue continues to drop and state or federal recovery funds are not made available to offset the shortfalls.

The 2020 - 2025 Transportation Improvement Program was developed during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and impacts on local transportation revenue are expected over at least the next 18 months, according to a news release Monday from the Lake County DOT.

"This program assumes status quo funding as if the pandemic and economic downturn were not occurring," said Shane Schneider, director for the Lake County Division of Transportation. "This approach ensures that priority projects are identified in the program and are advancing towards construction should additional stimulus funding be made available. If no additional recovery funding is made available to offset revenue losses, some projects will need to be delayed for a construction season or longer."

So far, funding has been set aside for the following notable projects with construction expected to start between 2021 and 2025:

• Buffalo Grove Road from Deerfield Parkway to Route 22: The roadway will be widened to two lanes in each direction. Construction is expected to take place in 2020 and 2021.
• Cedar Lake Road Realignment: Cedar Lake Road will be realigned in downtown Round Lake. Engineering work is planned to get underway in 2021 and construction should start in 2023.
• Deep Lake Road Resurfacing from Route 132 to Depot Street: The roadway will be resurfaced and there will be new bike-friendly shoulders added. Construction will start in 2021.
• Hart Road and Route 14 Intersection: Improvements will be made at the railroad crossing and new turn lanes and multi-use paths will be added. Construction is underway.
• Patriot Path along Route 137: A new 5.5-mile long path will be added, which will connect the Des Plaines River Trail and Robert McClory Path. Engineering work is slated to begin in 2021.

Part of the funding for the upcoming projects will come from the Rebuild Illinois bill, which was signed into law in 2019. The program is expected to bring in an additional $24 million in transportation bond proceeds to Lake County between 2020 and 2022 and could increase the county's share of the motor fuel tax revenue from the state by 68 percent.

This money has been earmarked for some of the county's bigger projects, including the reconstruction of Arlington Heights Road, the widening and railroad grade separation at Quentin Road and Old McHenry Road and intersection improvements at Hunt Club Road and Washington Street, according to a news release from the Lake County Division of Transportation.

“Funding from the Rebuild Illinois plan is going straight to critical infrastructure projects in Lake County that would have taken a long time to come to fruition," said Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart. "These projects will improve the quality of life for our residents by reducing the time they spend in traffic and also will create new jobs for people during these difficult times."