‘A lot of moving parts’: $13.2M Main Street redesign and related projects set to begin in Lake Zurich

Lake Zurich village staff will be meeting with downtown businesses to share project details and tips to manage impacts and “allow everyday life to happen” as a centerpiece project to redesign Main Street gets underway.

The rebuild from the lakeside promenade to Church Street and related work represents a huge village investment in the area.

Work also will include a water transmission line representing the first phase of bringing Lake Michigan water to town and extensive utility work along Whitney Road and Lake Zurich Drive to the west.

Village officials Monday authorized a not-to-exceed contract of $13.16 million with Copenhaver Construction Inc. of Gilberts for interrelated projects. That includes streetscaping along Main Street, a new water transmission line at Church Street, replacing 19 lead service lines, and new road surfaces and water main, sanitary sewer and stormwater improvements along Main Street, Whitney Road and Lake Zurich Drive.

“It’s a project that you may only get to do once in your career, if you’re lucky,” said Mike Brown, public works director. “It’s all about providing a refresh within the downtown that hopefully provides a spark of energy to promote further opportunities to enhance the community.”

The village is paying with $4 million from its non-home-rule fund; $7.2 million from the water and sewer fund; and, $2 million from the capital projects fund.

Streetscaping Main Street through the heart of the community has been envisioned since the early 2000s and is expected to change the look and feel of the downtown district for generations, according to the village.

Full construction is expected to begin in early April and likely last much of the year.

“The goal is to work very closely with all the business owners downtown,” Brown said. “A lot of moving parts.”

Last year, the village refreshed the promenade itself with new decking, landscaping and other features but because of material delays, it will need to be finished this year, he said.

The streetscape redesign beginning at the promenade will include a landscaped median, new angled parking and a pedestrian crosswalk. Throughout the project, Main Street will be narrowed to 10 feet and sidewalks widened to slow vehicles and expand public space to encourage businesses to add outdoor seating.

A distinctive feature will be a decorative custom brick compass emblem at Old Rand and Main Street, symbolizing the “interconnectedness at the heart of the community,” according to the village.

Improvements include 73,000 square feet of bricks, sidewalks, planters, a bioswale and more; planting 40 trees and 14,000 perennials; and two traffic calming landscaped medians west of Old Rand Road. More than a mile of Whitney and Main Street will be resurfaced.

The Church Street water main is critical as it provides pressure improvements to the existing system, Brown said. It’s being replaced beneath Main Street now to avoid having to tear up a new road later.

A final route between the Lake Michigan water connection in Vernon Hills to Oakwood and Midlothian roads in Lake Zurich is being designed.