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Lake County approves $4.42 million contract to fill 1.5-mile bike-path gap on Washington Street
Summary
The county awarded a $4,421,079.17 contract to construct a 1.5-mile bike path on Washington Street, creating a continuous 9.5-mile nonmotorized corridor; the work is funded with county option motor fuel tax funds and is expected to start after winter and target completion in October.
Lake County’s Public Works and Transportation Committee on Jan. 7 approved a $4,421,079.17 contract with Cope and Haver Construction Inc. to construct non-motorized improvements along Washington Street, filling a 1.5-mile gap in the corridor and creating a continuous 9.5-mile bike-path connection from the Des Plaines River Trail to Cedar Lake Road.
Shane Schneider, county engineer and DOT director, told the committee the project began planning in 2021 with two public meetings and neighborhood outreach, and that the county and villages coordinated the design. "It's a 1.5 mile gap that currently exists along the Washington Street corridor," Schneider said, adding that once built and with planned intersection improvements at Washington and Hunt Club Road this year, Lake County will have "a continuous 9 and a half mile stretch" of bike path.
The contract award is paired with an appropriation of $5,305,000 from county option motor fuel tax funds. Schneider said the village of Gurnee will own and maintain the bike path and sidewalk east of U.S. 45 and Third Lake will own and maintain the facilities west of U.S. 45. The project includes new crosswalks and pedestrian push buttons at the US 45 intersection, and ADA-compliant sidewalk and bike-path ramps with detectable warnings.
When asked about timing, Schneider said construction would begin as soon as weather permits following board approval and the target completion date is October of the contract year. Committee members praised staff outreach and said the project will improve connectivity to College of Lake County and the Millennium Trail. The committee approved the contract by voice vote; no roll-call vote totals were provided in the transcript.
