The intersection of Waukegan and Westleigh Roads in Lake Forest is set for a major overhaul later this year as the city seeks to improve traffic flow and safety at the busy crossroads.
“It is both dangerous and at times very confusing and frustrating if you are trying to make turns, depending on which direction you are headed,” City Manager Jason Wicha said during a Jan. 16 forum hosted by the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Chamber of Commerce.
City documents describe the intersection as accident-prone and prone to congestion, particularly during athletic events at Lake Forest High School’s West Campus, including football games.
Planned improvements include new left- and right-turn lanes on both roads, upgraded pedestrian signals, crosswalks, sidewalks, and ADA-accessible ramps, as well as drainage upgrades and pavement widening and resurfacing.
“It is a full intersection reconstruction,” said Byron Kutz, the city’s superintendent of engineering, at the Jan. 20 City Council meeting, where aldermen unanimously approved a $398,000 construction engineering contract with Gewalt Hamilton, the project designer.
Kutz noted the added turn lanes will result in longer pedestrian crossings. Lane closures on Waukegan Road are expected during construction, though Kutz noted at least one lane of traffic in each direction is expected to remain open at all times.
While Gewalt Hamilton submitted the higher of the two bids the city received — by slightly more than $20,000 — Kutz maintained the firm’s experience and communication outreach capabilities were key factors in the decision.
“They had a really good understanding of the project, which can be helpful during construction as well,” he said.
Utility relocation work is already underway, with construction scheduled to begin in March. City officials expect the project to be mostly completed by late July or early August, ahead of the start of the fall high school athletic season.
In separate action, the City Council approved a staff request to allocate nearly $430,000 in contingency funding between the Illinois Department of Transportation and the construction company handling the replacement of the Lake-Woodbine Bridge.
Funding for the estimated $4.7 million bridge project is split: 75 % from federal grant funds distributed by the State of Illinois and 25 % from the city.
As previously reported by Pioneer Press, the city is removing the original 1912 Lake-Woodbine Bridge, which will be replaced with a new structure designed to reflect the arch of the original bridge.
Rehabilitation work on the nearby Lake and Spruce Road bridge is scheduled to begin at the end of March.
Kutz said both bridges are expected to reopen by mid-September.
Following the meeting, the city announced it had received a $600,000 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant from the State of Illinois to support the second phase of planned improvements at South Park, located at 150 S. Maywood Road.
The grant will fund part of a roughly $1.265 million project that includes a new splash pad, ballfield upgrades, a fitness station, game tables, bag toss games and a picnic shelter. The city will cover the remaining costs.
The first phase of improvements at South Park was completed in 2020 and included a new parking lot, walking loop trail, basketball court, tennis court and a rain garden, city officials said in a statement.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.