Village Takes First Step on Major Road Work

The Village Board of Trustees took a first step toward a major construction project on Deerfield Road at Tuesday’s meeting when it approved a study to determine the extent of the work which should take place between Wilmot Road and Highway 41 in Highland Park.

Village Manager Kent Street emphasized the work will not begin until the current project on Half Day Road is done and the .

“The earliest it will be will be is 2014 and more likely 2015,” Street said. “It will not start until the work on Lake Cook Road (scheduled for 2013) and Half Day Road is done.”

Construction on Half Day Road through unincorporated Deerfield and Bannockburn between the Highland Park city limits and Interstate 94 is finished except for landscaping. Completing the greenery will occasionally require closure some lanes in the fall of this year and spring of next.

At this point, the Lake Cook Road project will start next year and be finished by Thanksgiving, according to the Cook County Highway Department.

What the Village did approve Tuesday was a design engineering services contract to determine exactly what must be done not only with the road but some of the infrastructure. “We need that so we can get bids,” Street said.

Street also indicated approximately 70 percent of the cost of the project will be paid with funds from the federal government. The Village is in preliminary discussions with Lake County to determine who will be responsible for the balance of the cost and the project itself.

Lake County has wanted to make Deerfield Road a county highway from Wilmot Road to Highway 41 in Highland Park for some time, according to Street. The Village Board is not sure about whether it wants to cede the responsibility. Highland Park is involved in its own discussions.

“We’re obligated to pay for the study regardless,” Street said explaining why the Village is going forward with the program at this time. “We’re in the process of discussing with Lake County the position it will take.”

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