Roads: May 2008 Archives

A preview of proposed Lake County road improvements that will or won't get done with the new gravy from the state sales tax -- only from the crystal ball of The Swami:

-- Widening of Washington Street from Hunt Club Road to Cemetery Road in Gurnee: Completed next month. People, this is one-half mile of roadway. You and your brother-in-law could buy the asphalt at Home Depot and knock it out in a weekend.

-- Traffic signal interconnections on Grand Avenue from Route 131 to Sheridan Road in Waukegan: Completed next week -- by hiring ten guys and giving them red, yellow and green flashlights. Anything would be better than the current system.

-- Widening of Delany Road from Tanahill Drive to York House Road, Waukegan/Gurnee: Completed in 2009. Among the beneficiaries of this proposal would be employees of the Lake County News-Sun. Never underestimate the political influence of the mainstream media.

-- Realignment of the intersection of Peterson Road and Route 60 in Round Lake Park: Completed in 2012. It would be sooner, but they will spend years clearing out the wreckage of cars destroyed while trying to pass on the shoulder.

-- Construction of a Route 45 bypass around the "Millburn Strangler": Will never be completed. Some road monsters are like Jason in the "Friday the 13th" movies, and this is one of them. Even when it looks dead, don't you believe it.

Just last weekend, in response to Waiting in Waukegan, The Swami predicted that the ongoing ongoing ongoing ongoing roadwork at Sunset and Delany roads would be completed in roughly two decades. The outrageous prediction elicited this response via e-mail from a source with the Lake County Division of Transportation:

"The Sunset Avenue reconstruction/ widening project between Delany (and) Green Bay is currently over 50 percent complete ... Completion is anticipated for the end of August, dependent on weather and other factors beyond the Contractor's control."

(read the complete response here or at http://blogs.suburbanchicagonews.com/swami/ under May 16 comments)

So there you have it. Although it could be noted that the message only says "the end of August," and not the exact year ...

Please Help, Swami,

Every morning and afternoon I drive on Sunset Avenue between Delany Road and Green Bay Road. Construction has been going on for two years and it seems the road is only getting worse. Can you please look into your crystal ball and let us know when those workers are going to finish the job?

Waiting in Waukegan,

Dear Waiting,

The Swami shares in your angst, having made the trip through the Neverending Road Project far too many times. The most fascinating thing about it is how they change the route and the roadside obstacles every other week, as if trying to win a public art contest.

In fact, you might have noticed that they put down some beautiful new sod on the north side of Sunset in recent weeks, even while the roadway itself is still in therapy. Kind of like putting a bonnet on a hippo.

Anyway, on to your question: Let us peer into the ball of crystal and see when this reconstruction and widening of Sunset between Delany and Green Bay (the road, not the city in Wisconsin) will be complete ...

Hmmm ... it's not perfectly clear, but let's put it this way -- helping to cut the ribbon is a Democratic presidential candidate named Chelsea Clinton ...