Barrington’s Lake County Board rep previews busy construction season

Updated: April 8, 2013 6:45AM

LAKE BARRINGTON SHORES — Spring is just around the corner and so is road construction season.

When winter finally subsides, the busiest transportation-related workload in Lake County history will begin.

I recently contacted Nick Sauer, our Lake County Board Member for District 17, to ask about upcoming projects that will affect the Lake Barrington Shores area.

Just a stone’s throw from Lake Barrington Shores will be improvements at the T-intersection of Roberts and River roads. A roundabout was proposed and approved.

“I like this concept for a few good reasons,” Sauer said. “One, T-intersections can be dangerous and a roundabout will eliminate the potential for side impact accidents that can be very harmful. Two, by not stopping at a light, traffic will flow much more easily and reduce commute times for our residents. Three, roundabouts are actually better for the environment because a car will keep its pace and not need to idle or accelerate, producing more car emissions.”

The biggest project is the intersection improvements at Route 176 and Fairfield Road. LBS residents who use the Lakewood Dog Exercise Area and Forest Preserve, along with the Millennium Trails, will benefit from the upgrades, as will commuters who travel that way for work.

“This new expenditure, which I supported at the Public Works and Transportation Committee and when it came to a vote on the floor of the County Board, will do some great things for our commuters in my district who use these roads,” Sauer said. “The area in and around the intersection will be widened to move traffic more easily through this problematic bottleneck. New traffic signals will be put in place and the Lake County PASSAGE system will be expanded to include this area. PASSAGE is a real-time camera system that monitors traffic, assesses conditions, can see accidents and inform commuters who sign up for the free service about travel times and road problems.”

Sauer encouraged residents to sign up for the PASSAGE service at www.lakecountypassage.com.

IRISH FUN

Everybody’s a little Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!

The LBS Ladies Club will see to that with an afternoon of Irish entertainment, starting at 3:30 p.m. March 17. Irish coffee and Irish refreshments will be served first, and the music starts at 4 p.m. in the Rec Center ballroom. The Nippersink Rogues have been booked for the fun afternoon. Send your check for $10 per person to Carol Andler.

LOCAL AUTHOR

Donn Ziebell has published a book titled “My Letters to a Prisoner I had not met.”

It is a sampling of his correspondence with an inmate written over a six-year period. It is available on Amazon.com.

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