Lake County advances Patriot Path project

WAUKEGAN – The Lake County Board approved a resolution at its Oct. 8 meeting that moves Segments 2 and 3 of the proposed Patriot Path into Phase II Engineering.

Segments 1 and 4 already have advanced to these steps, so all four segments are in the detailed design phase with construction to begin as early as 2027.

The Patriot Path is slated to run off-road along Route 137 from near Independence Grove Forest Preserve to Naval Station Great Lakes. It would be 5.5 miles long and serve as a key connection to other regional trails such as the Robert McClory Bike Path and Des Plaines River Trail.

The project has been divided into four segments to better manage the construction effort. Construction is planned to start in Segments 1 and 4 and work would meet in the middle to complete Segments 2 and 3.

“We anticipate the Patriot Path becoming one of our most popular paths as it will serve over 40,000 area residents and those who live and work at Naval Station Great Lakes,” Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart said in a news release. “The path will provide a safe route for pedestrians and cyclists to commute to work and school and offer a convenient connection to parks, forest preserves and transit stops.”

Talks about building the Patriot Path started many years ago because of limited pedestrian accommodations in the area. Phase 1 of the project was composed of planning, public information meetings to gather input and feedback and meeting with key stakeholders such as the Forest Preserves and U.S. Navy.

“For 20 years, I’ve been advocating for the Patriot Path,” said Ann Maine, vice chair of the Lake County Public Works and Transportation Committee and board member for District 3. “The concept went from a dream to several different iterations and it’s thrilling that the project is finally coming together after years of hard work.”

The Lake County Board and Lake County Department of Transportation have been busy finding ways to fund the estimated $30 million project.

“Lake County has been proactive in securing funding for the Patriot Path project,” said Jennifer Clark, chair of the Lake County Public Works and Transportation Committee and board member for District 15. “We’ve worked diligently with our state and federal legislators, as well as local stakeholders, to advocate for the path. Our efforts have resulted in nearly $12 million in state and federal funding for Segments 1 and 4 and we’re continuing to pursue additional grants so we can expedite moving the remaining segments forward to construction.”

The Patriot Path is among many of the non-motorized projects LCDOT is working on. Whenever possible, shared-use paths are added during a reconstruction and widening project and bike-friendly shoulders are added where appropriate during resurfacing projects.

The public can view the shared-use paths that are available and planned by Lake County for the future through an interactive map. Planned shared-use paths in LCDOT’s Five-Year Plan are shown in purple on the map and paths in the 2040 Non-Motorized Plan are shown in red.

View the map here.