One of the hardest jobs Lake County government will face in the coming years is persuading motorists to abandon their vehicles for other commuting options. It’s a noble goal, but we do love our rides.
Especially since the county unveiled a $127 million infrastructure program on April 10 aimed at upgrading a number of area roadways used by rush-hour commuters. Some of the projects planned for the summer’s construction season already have begun due to spring-like weather this winter.
Nearly 80% of county commuters are the only passengers in their vehicles as they go to and from their jobs. That figure shows how hard it will be to convince us to change our driving habits.
We’re not the only ones selfishly driving down byways and circumnavigating roundabouts in Chicagoland by our lonesome. Other regional counties face similar single-occupancy commuting quandaries.
Chloe Hilles spelled out the issue in a March 13 front-page News-Sun story. Figures from the U.S. Census Bureau note that between 1990 and 2016, the number of those who drove to their jobs by themselves in Lake County jumped from 201,000 to 270,000. That’s a 34% increase.
You can bet that number has increased further, even with many in the workforce working remotely, mainly from home. While there may be more highway lanes for us to travel, don’t expect any major new roads to be built, at least in the county’s short-term plans.
The Route 53 extension from Lake-Cook Road to Route 120 has been talked to death. The future of its right-of-way lies in turning it into a greenway with bike and walking paths to traverse central Lake County from Buffalo Grove north to Grayslake.
In the meantime, county transportation officials are working righteously on ways to change travel behavior and increase mobility. The aim is to lower traffic jams, idling times and carbon emissions, which contribute to climate change. It is a slow learning curve for long-range planning.
Some area companies for years have been providing van pools for employees to shuttle them to their jobs, especially those who take Metra trains. Biking to work on an expanded bicycle network of trails and lanes, along with increased use of public transportation, have also been urged.
Not being discussed for drivers on the Tri-State Tollway or Edens Expressway is what other vehicle-congested regions — Nashville comes to mind — use: HOV lanes. During rush hours, some lanes are reserved for high-occupancy vehicles such as carpools, van pools and buses. Single-use vehicles are barred from using the lanes, which normally flow quite freely.
As the county tries to balance solitary drivers with increasing traffic, it still needs to maintain and improve its existing highway network. That’s where the 20-some projects — ranging from intersection improvements, bike paths, resurfacings and bridge maintenance — on the transportation drawing board come in. Last year, the county spent about $88 million on road projects; in 2022, $90 million.
The county’s capital improvement plans — a fraction of the more than $800 million in construction planned over the next six years to modernize the 300-mile network — don’t include work done by municipalities, the state and townships. For instance, Waukegan has 14 projects underway or planned this year, worth more than $39.4 million in the budget recently approved for the fiscal year which begins May 1. Another 25 projects are set for 2025.
With the road construction, including 58 miles of resurfacing, comes traffic delays and additional headaches for motorists. Targeted congested areas will include the Stearns School Road/Route 41 improvements and the Hunt Club Road/Washington Street work, both in Gurnee.
Also predicted to keep drivers in traffic is the Arlington Heights Road/Lake-Cook Road reconstruction project in Buffalo Grove; the Route 59/Grand Avenue intersection reconstruction project in Fox Lake; and the Wadsworth Road/Lewis Avenue intersection in the Beach Park area.
Waukegan’s major project this construction season is a portion of Butrick Street, between Washington Street and Grand Avenue. McAlister Avenue work, between 10th Street and George Avenue, also is planned.
While sitting in your single-occupancy vehicle as construction is all around, don’t fume over the wait as roads are ground down to their bases and repaved, cement forms set as concrete trucks wait to unload. This too will pass, and eventually make for an easier and perhaps safer commute.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor.
sellenews@gmail.com
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