Lake County Gazette

An interactive dashboard launched by the Lake County Division of Transportation displays more than 300 projects in its 2024-2029 Transportation Improvement Program, recently adopted by the Lake County Board.

"Miles of new bike paths and sidewalks will be constructed, along with many more safety improvements. One railroad grade separation is planned, while an additional two locations are being studied that would eliminate traffic backups when trains pass through," Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart said in a Lake County news release. "The Lake County Board is proud to be investing more than $850 million in transportation projects over the next six years."

According to a Lake County news release, the $850 million transportation program was designed to maintain more than 900 lane miles of county highways, increase safety for drivers and pedestrians, reduce carbon emissions, and improve mobility. Annual updates show projects planned in the current year and the next five years.

Board member Jennifer Clark, the Public Works and Transportation Committee chair, said the top priority is keeping existing infrastructure in good condition.

The 2024-2029 Transportation Improvement Program breaks down into three different categories in order of priority.

1. Preservation projects keep county highway pavements, bridges, bikeways and signals in a state of good repair. These include road resurfacings, culvert replacements and bridge repairs. They are the most common type of project.

 2. Modernization projects focus on increasing safety, reducing delays and improving non-motorized transportation. These include roundabouts, traffic signals, added turn-lanes, bike paths, sidewalks and pedestrian crossings. 

3. Expansion projects add capacity to the system to reduce traffic congestion. These include constructing railroad/road grade separations, adding travel lanes to a road to eliminate a bottleneck and sometimes re-aligning an existing road.

The 2024-2029 Transportation Improvement Program shows all of LCDOT's projects currently in the works. Check out the new interactive dashboard that integrates with LCDOT's Project Tracker, providing more information than ever before.

"The public can view detailed project information using the same tool our team utilizes," said Shane Schneider, LCDOT director of transportation. "This is a great way to be informed of all the LCDOT projects in your area in the coming years."