In the News

Lake Villa Review, April 3, 2009

Millions of state dollars are being earmarked for resurfacing major sections of Waukegan Road in Lake Bluff, Lake Forest and Deerfield area and Sheridan Road in Highland Park as part of a "mini-stimulus" package that passed the Illinois General Assembly this week and was signed into law Friday.

State Sen. Susan Garrett, D-29th, of Lake Forest, one of the sponsors of the legislation in the Senate, said the capital plan provides $2 billion statewide in road funds statewide and $1 billion for transit.

"It's a jump start on a capital bill and it will help infuse funds into road projects for our local communities," she said.

Garrett said the plan includes $5.25 million in funding for resurfacing Waukegan Road (Illinois Route 43) between Atkinson Road and Illinois Route 22 and another $1.5 million for resurfacing Waukegan Road from Deerfield High School to Central Avenue in downtown Deerfield.

The plan also includes $1.8 million for resurfacing Sheridan Road in Highland Park, and $1.43 million for resurfacing Sheridan Road between Buckley Road in North Chicago and Blodgett Avenue in Lake Bluff.

"These are major projects that Highland Park, Deerfield, Lake Forest and Lake Bluff have had on their to-do list for years, but they've been neglected because of lack of funding," she said.

Bids on the projects are expected to be awarded in late May and construction will start in June.

Other projects on the list include $1.25 million for resurfacing Illinois Route 22 from Story Brook Lane to Landon Lane in Bannockburn, and $400,000 for resurfacing a frontage road along U.S. Route 41 north of Illinois Route 176 in the Knollwood area.

Garrett said that the road projects will be made possible by issuing $3 billion in state bonds that will be paid back from the state's road fund. It will allow the state to leverage another $7 billion in federal road dollars. "This was done without raising taxes or fees," she said.

Garrett said the state legislature and governor are still discussing plans for a larger statewide capital bill for major road and transit projects, which will be considered later this year.