With a state budget finally approved, local officials are looking forward to construction resuming on a pedestrian bridge in Middlefork Savanna.
On May 1, construction began on a 221-foot long pedestrian bridge that runs over the Metra tracks, said Michael Haug, project manager for the Lake County Forest Preserve. The bridge is part of a trail that will link Middlefork Savanna and Townline Community Park.
“We’re nearing 30 percent completion,” Haug said. “We were preparing the trails on both sides for the future bridge location and were working on grading, retaining walls and electrical work for the Route 60 crossing.”
Work ceased on the project June 30 when the Illinois Department of Transportation shut down construction projects due to the state budget impasse.
After two years without a budget, the Illinois General Assembly approved one July 6. At 6 p.m. that day, the city of Lake Forest received an email saying that state projects were back on, said Robert Ells, superintendent of engineering for Lake Forest.
Ells said it could have been worse.
“They only lost a few days,” Ells said. “It’s not nearly as bad as it could have been if this went on a month or two.”
The bridge fits in with the city’s master bicycle plan, Ells said.
“It’s always been a bottleneck because of the railroad tracks,” he said. “By the end of the summer, hopefully a lot of pedestrians and bicyclists will have a whole new route.”
Construction of the bridge will cost just under $1.7 million, with 80 percent of the money coming from a federal prgram, Ells said.
That money is being administered by IDOT, which also chose the contractor, Haug said. Most of the remaining 20 percent came from the Lake County Forest Preserve with the city of Lake Forest contributing $100,000 and Lake Forest Academy contributing $25,000, Haug said.
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