WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced it has awarded Lake County a grant of $18,788,080 to improve the safety, condition and resiliency of Cedar Lake Road and the Illinois Route 124 intersection.
U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, who have worked closely with Lake County to advocate for the federal funding, released the following statements celebrating the funding:
“This is a transformative investment in Lake County and the Round Lake area that will bring innumerable benefits to our community,” Schneider said. “This project will not only significantly improve safety along Cedar Lake Road, it will also dramatically enhance, strengthen and grow Round Lake’s central business district, bringing more jobs, more services and more opportunity to the region. Thanks to tireless advocacy by local officials as well as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that I helped pass in 2021, our community is about to see an infusion of federal dollars that will make Lake County an even better place to live. I am extremely proud to have been a longtime supporter of this project and look forward to witnessing the Cedar Lake Road revitalization improve overall infrastructure in Lake County.”
“Accessible infrastructure, whether that’s ADA-compliant sidewalks or improved Metra stations, is a vital component of a thriving community,” Durbin said. “With the more than $21 million coming to Lake County to support this update to existing infrastructure, residents and visitors will make good use of new bicycle paths, pedestrian crossings, commuter parking and more. I will continue to work with Sen. Duckworth and Congressman Schneider to advocate for Northern Illinois communities to receive federal support needed for these projects.”
“I’m proud to see this federal funding benefitting Illinoisans by repairing and enhancing our local infrastructure in Lake County,” Duckworth said. “This investment will go a long way in updating Cedar Lake Road and making it safer for pedestrians and cyclists and more accessible. I’m pleased to see this funding will also help bring much-needed improvements to the Round Lake Metra Station. I will continue to work alongside Sen. Durbin and Congressman Schneider to ensure that our communities are receiving the much-needed federal resources they deserve.”
The grant will fund the construction of a new alignment for Cedar Lake Road from Hart to Nippersink roads, as well as five new intersections, ADA-compliant sidewalks, a shared use path, a bicycle path, sidewalks and pedestrian crossings.
Additionally, the project funded through the grant will improve the Round Lake Metra Station with platform extension and improvements including consolidation of commuter parking, warming shelters, bus stop shelters and kiss and ride facilities on each side of the railroad tracks.
The funding was secured through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program, which helps state and local communities complete essential transportation infrastructure projects.
The grant follows efforts by Schneider, Durbin and Duckworth to bring more federal funding to the project. In 2022, Schneider secured $4 million in Community Project Funding for Cedar Lake Road’s realignment and requested additional funding in 2024 for the project. Additionally, Schneider, Durbin and Duckworth wrote to USDOT in support of Lake County’s grant application.
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