One of the largest road projects in recent Lake County history is expected to start construction this year, a roughly 2 ½ mile corridor of Deerfield Road running from Milwaukee Avenue to Saunders Road.
Chuck Gleason is the manager of capital project development with the Lake County Division of Transportation. Between planning, engineering, and ultimately construction, he said the project will cost about $70 million, with a large portion funded with federal money. According to county documents, the Illinois Department of Transportation will pay up to 80% of construction costs.
The Lake County Board approved the appropriation of $22 million for the project’s construction during Tuesday’s board meeting. Total construction cost is estimated to be $46 million, according to county documents.
It’s a project that’s “been a long time coming,” Gleason said, with planning first starting in 2016. He expects the project to go to bid in September, with construction to begin potentially by November or December. Work will take about two years, he said.
According to the documents, work includes reconstructing the roadway, adding a center turn lane, various intersection improvements, bridge rehabilitation and drainage improvements.
The project’s website also highlights a multi-use path aspect, which will connect an existing Buffalo Grove path on the southwest side of the Milwaukee Avenue intersection to the bike path bridge over the Des Plaines River and the Deerfield Road path on the northeast side of the Saunders and Riverwoods Roads intersection.
“It’s a huge project for us,” Gleason said, and one of the department’s largest based on dollar amount, not adjusted for inflation. He said the road sees regular traffic delays due to the missing turn lanes.
The improvements could cut travel times during peak hours from over half an hour to the tollway to about seven minutes, he said. It’s a huge improvement, he said, and comes with safety benefits as well.
