Pedestrian access and walkability are concerns in most municipalities, and the village of Gurnee is no different.
The Gurnee Village Board approved a new pedestrian path that would run alongside Dilleys Road at its regular board meeting Monday.
The board unanimously approved an ordinance that would allow for the hiring of Gewalt Hamilton Associates, Inc., a Vernon Hill-based engineering firm, to help design the first two phases of the path’s construction.
Some board members were enthusiastic about the plan, including Karen Thorstenson, who said the plan is “terrific.”
The creation of the path has been a goal for the village and its residents for some time, as Gurnee officials outlined that increased walkability was a goal in its 2015 Strategic Planning Process. After that, the village created a citizen-led Blue Ribbon Commission which presented a plan in 2017 for several biking and walking trails, including the Dilleys Road pedestrian path, according to a document shared with the board.
One of the goals for the project is to connect the upcoming path to already existing pedestrian paths, including a newly constructed bridge on Stearns School Road that passes over Interstate 94, according to a presentation made by the Blue Ribbon Commission in 2017.
In total, the path, which will be eight-feet wide, will cover a half-mile down Dilleys Road, spanning the east side of the busy street from the intersection that it shares with Stearns School Road, down to an existing bike path near a ComEd right of way area.
The path would be constructed in three phases, according to village engineer Nicholas Leach. The first phase would include surveying utilities and doing alignment work to determine if the proposed path could fit on the east side of the road, and would cost the village $50,700.
The second phase would consist of creating engineering plans, testing, obtaining permits and focusing on the design of the project, according to Leach.
While the second phase of the project will cost approximately $74,000, the village won’t be going at the cost alone. The village has had discussions with the Lake County Department of Transportation (LCDOT) about the project, and LCDOT has said that it is open to the possibility of cost sharing with the village if the first phase determines that it is possible to put a path in that location, and if the path would fit within the county’s right of way for Dilleys Road.
In addition to agreeing to share the cost for the second phase, LCDOT has agreed to cover the entire cost for the third phase of the project, which will be the actual construction of the path.
“If all goes well in terms of design, it could possibly be constructed in fiscal year 2024,” Leach said, referring to a time between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024.
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