Village and Lake County Collaborative Effort to Improve Safety and Access
A portion of the bike path connecting Libertyville's two parks will be rebuilt, and Lake County officials will install a new path on the north side of Winchester Road, adjacent to the government campus, to connect with village roads on the west side. .
Courtesy of Libertyville Village
Two multi-use intersections on Winchester Road across from the Lake County government campus in Libertyville, including one near the Metra tracks, will include pedestrian refuge islands and flashing beacons as part of a project expected to be completed this year. It was relocated.
Mick Zawislak/mzawislak@dailyherald.com, 2023
A portion of the bike path connecting two parks in Libertyville will be repaved in parallel with a Lake County project that will extend the new path west along Winchester Road.
The project aims to improve the safety of the village's trails and provide access to the expansive Lake County government campus north of Winchester Road.
The village board on Tuesday announced a 40,000-foot construction project with Peter Baker & Son Co. to replace about 1,200 feet of the village network extending north from Winchester Road just east of the Metra railroad tracks to the intersection of Bull Creek. Approved contract for $6,250.
According to the village, competitive bidding was waived in this case to reduce costs.
Parts of the village path linking Gilbert Stiles Park, Paul Neill Park and Willis Overholser Park are in poor condition and in need of work, and can only be accessed from Winchester Road. Under a contract with the Lake County Transportation Authority, Peter Baker plans to resume work on a new bike path from west side Milwaukee Avenue to village streets this spring.
Another contractor will be required to install equipment within Baker's construction site, which could damage the new pavement and require additional repairs, the village said.
By both installing the new LCDOT path and resurfacing the village path, Baker can ensure a smooth transition and reduce changes for future maintenance issues.
The price asked by Peter Baker was significantly lower than the lowest price in a competitive bid for similar work last year, according to village documents.
The county's bike path work included moving the existing intersection east of the Metra tracks east to align with the county's campus access road. The second intersection was also relocated. Both included flashing beacons and islands for pedestrian evacuation.
South of Winchester, village trails lead through Butler Lake Park.
“This is true collaboration,” said Village Trustee Pete Garrity, who chairs the Village Board's Parks and Recreation Committee. “This will really help improve the intersection for residents going north and south.”
Garrity added that it makes sense to do the work at the same time, and the savings can be used for other bike path projects.
This is the second year of LCDOT's $5.34 million project to resurface and make other improvements along a 5.18-mile stretch of Winchester Road from Route 83 to Milwaukee Avenue.
A portion of the bike path was installed last year, and the project is scheduled to conclude this year with the section from Village Road to Higashi County Farm Road completed.
