Lake Forest officials are preparing residents for a large streetscape improvement project planned for next year on Deerpath Road that will require the closure of vehicular traffic for several months.
Public Works Director Michael Thomas previewed the upcoming initiative at a September 3 City Council meeting.
Under the current plan, the City will install a water main under Deerpath from Green Bay Road on the west to Western Avenue on the east, starting possibly as early as mid-January. The next phase will be the installation of streetscape improvements from Oakwood to Western starting around April 1 and running through October.
“We want to make it much nicer,” Thomas said.
The renovation is set to include new trees, landscaping, sidewalks, masonry walls and improved lighting among other features.
“It is going to be a very big project, it is going to have a lot of impact on the city, but in the end, it will beautify and upgrade Deerpath for these two to three blocks,” Thomas said. “It will make things a lot safer, especially for pedestrians.”
Yet city officials state to complete the enhancements, Deerpath – a main east-west artery in the central business district – will be closed to westbound vehicular traffic during the water main installation phase and closed in both directions while the streetscape work is done over the approximate six months.
The city also anticipates some portions of Bank Lane will also be closed to vehicles.
“The road closures are going to be impactful and we are working hard to try to work with these detours as best we can to think how we can efficiently move traffic,” Thomas said.
Pedestrian traffic and employee access to Deerpath Road businesses will remain open during the construction.
Thomas said Western Avenue is set to remain open for the bulk of the project, but acknowledged it would be “tight” as there will be some limited construction work on that thoroughfare while still maintaining traffic.
City spokeswoman Dana Olson said there would be an outreach campaign to businesses over the next few weeks to prepare for the disruptions.
Thomas told the City Council staff believed it would be more efficient and less expensive to do the project all at once than in two separate parts.
Council members agreed with him.
“I think the best thing to do is shut the whole thing down,” Alderman Pete Clemens, 1st said. “Get the project done the right way as efficient and safe as possible and go from there. We are all going to love it when it is done, we are not going to necessarily love it during the process.”
The project cost estimate is $4.7 million, with $2.1 million coming from an Illinois Department of Transportation grant.
Thomas noted city officials have contemplated a Deerpath upgrade since 2016 but are acting now given the IDOT grant it received last year.
City officials admitted details are still being finalized for the project that has been contemplated since 2016.
“Knowing this project is six months away we acknowledge that there are a lot of questions we still need to navigate,” City Manager Jason Wicha said at the City Council meeting. “We don’t have all the answers tonight.”
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.