Gurnee’s plans to increase the village’s walkability are progressing with the Dilleys Road Pedestrian Path, an eight-foot-wide walkway that will extend for about a half-mile.
The Village Board Monday approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Lake County Department of Transportation (LCDOT) which will allow plans for the path to proceed.
Construction on the path is set to begin in August, as long as there are no major issues, according to village engineer Nicholas Leach. The project is a joint effort between the county and village, he said.
The path will run along Dilleys Road, starting at Stearns School Road and continuing north until it connects to an already existing ComEd right of way path. It will connect the existing ComEd path with the newly built bridge on Stearns School Road that crosses over Interstate 94.
“LCDOT also has this path as a priority, but it was not scheduled to be built within their five-year construction plan,” Leach said. “The village was willing to spearhead the project, and LCDOT was willing to help share some of the cost.”
The agreement says that LCDOT will cover the cost of both the second and third phases of the project, which is estimated to be $684,000. Approximately 75% of that total will be paid before the construction begins, while the remaining 25% will be paid once the project is completed.
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The village will pay the upfront cost to have the construction on the project completed, but will be reimbursed by the LCDOT afterward, according to Leach. Gurnee also was responsible for paying the cost for the first phase of the project, which will be about $50,700.
During the meeting, Village Administrator Patrick Muetz said Gurnee had already included $500,000 for the project in its recently approved budget.
The board initially approved plans for the path in October. At that time, the board unanimously approved an ordinance that would allow for the hiring of Gewalt Hamilton Associates, Inc., a Vernon Hills-based engineering firm, which designed the first two phases of the project.
The first phase assessed whether or not the path could fit in the space available. Phase two consisted of designing the path, and phase three will be its actual construction.
The village has made increased walkability a priority, at least since its 2015 strategic planning process. At that time, residents provided input stating that they wanted increased walkability throughout the village.
Gurnee created a commission on walkability and bikeability, which gave its final recommendations to the Village Board in 2017. One of the commission’s top-priority recommendations was the creation of the Dilleys Road Pedestrial Path.