Construction of a railroad bridge underpass on Washington Street in Grayslake was delayed by issues related to a JAWA pipe. (Photo by Gregory Harutunian/for Chronicle Media)

The Washington Street Bridge underpass is moving steadily toward a late July date that will open the roadway to traffic, after more than two years of construction work and delays. The Grayslake intersection of Washington and North Lake streets will be aligned heading west to accommodate new road surface leading under the bridge.

The project was largely conceived to alleviate increased vehicle congestion stemming from the seemingly continuous flow of Canadian National Railway freight traffic which blocked the road. When completed, Washington Street features new road surfacing west to its intersection with Hainesville Road, and continues into a resurfacing project in Round Lake.

“The final completion date for all the construction and amenities is slated for the end of 2017, but no firm date as yet,” said Matt Emde, the Lake County Division of Transportation’s manager for the project. “The road will be open to vehicles in July, they will use the underpass. The undercut for the grade went down to the three-foot mark, and it wasn’t the greatest soil.”

The bid date for the job order was November 2014, with the execution of contracts occurring two months later. The Wauconda-based firm of Berger Excavating, Inc. is the general contractor. The bridge installation and abutments was completed by Des Plaines-based Lorig Construction Company. Actual digging for the underpass was halted several times, due to inclement weather and flooding. Crews additionally dealt with clay mixed into the sediment.

An issue also developed with the location of the Joint Action Water Agency (JAWA) pipe, as the recorded information did not correspond to the actual siting of the pipe. The Central Lake County JAWA Board is comprised of nine members, and tasked with bringing water from Lake Michigan as the source to outlying communities.

“The pipe had to be moved for the bridge abutment, and some of the record drawing didn’t match the field,” said Emde. “The pipe needed to be re-designed, as it’s a specialized pipe and assembled onsite, like a puzzle. It has to fit perfectly. There was a problem locating the line itself. “

The delay over the JAWA lines delayed the project for nearly one year. The lines were in the path of the south abutment, and with the realignment and newly-laid pipe, the issue has been resolved.

Tabbed at an approximately $23 million cost for the entire project, 80 percent of the money comes from federal coffers: the Interstate Commerce Commission Grade Crossing Protection Fund, and the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Fund. The remaining 20 percent is being paid by Lake County. In an agreement with The Canadian National Railway, some funding was supplied by the transportation company to offset costs for heavy-duty abutments.

“There will eventually be a second line for freight traffic, and they paid for the heavy-duty abutments, as a result,” said Emde.

The underpass is the second such project undertaken in Lake County. The first was completed and opened last year in Round Lake, near the intersection of Rollins Road and Route 83. Its origins came from traffic congestion, and blockage from CN freight trains. Extensive grading and landscaping created the underpass, using easements from shopping center easements on the east side of Route 83.

The planning was a “best-use” scenario for Rollins Road, although congestion still continues. There are six traffic signals within a 1.25-mile distance, from Cedar Lake Road to Route 83.

Another underpass being forwarded by the Village of Barrington along Route 14 is being funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation and the village itself. The remedial work will leave Route 14 as the only open road in the municipality, when freight train traffic blocks two other crossings. Village officials cite that a train 100 feet long effectively cuts off the movement of traffic, with three crossings.

–July Traffic Opening For Washington Street Bridge Underpass–