Route 41 goes to hell

Swami,

What in the world has happened to Route 41 and Grand Avenue? I tried to drive to work through there Monday morning and it was like that scene in "The Day After Tomorrow" right before the tidal wave hits Manhattan. How long will this be going on? How bad will it be?

Gridlocked in Gurnee

Dear G.G.:

First of all, interesting cinematic reference. Most people who bothered to see that movie only remember the Dick Cheney look-a-like vice-president, or the fake CGI wolves chasing Jake Gyllenhaal.

And now to your questions, in order:

-- What In The World? The official word is that the Illinois Department of Transportation is going to rebuild the whole mess, from a new bridge to wider lanes on Grand. But the truth is, someone looked at the map and saw that the Tri-State Tollway is already a nightmare, so Route 41 must become one too.

-- How Long? Official word, through October 2009. In reality, we'll have a rough winter, a late spring, a rainy summer and then an early winter a year from now, meaning a certain percentage of the project will get pushed back to spring 2010.

-- How Bad? In this case, that official word is a ray of sunshine -- what you saw Monday is merely "advance" work, with "full stage" work starting in March. Translated literally from engineering, "advance" means "you'll be a half-hour late to work" and "full stage" means "bring a book to read."

And now to the question you didn't ask: Why? Short answer, because the intersection needs it. Longer answer, because Lake County motorists have been naughty and need to be punished.