Dole Avenue construction to start Monday, road closures to last three months

The northbound lane of Dole Avenue between Route 14 and Oak Street in Crystal Lake will be closed for three months.

The closure is for the Dole Avenue Reconstruction Project. Water main improvements, pavement reconstruction, new sidewalks and bike lane enhancements will all be done during the construction.

From Monday, July 17, to Friday, Oct. 27, Dole Avenue will have only the southbound lane open. A detour route will direct drivers to use Route 14 to Crystal Lake Avenue to get drivers back onto Dole Avenue.

“Anybody that drives down Dole can see that the pavement is pretty worn and needs some attention.”

—  Michael Magnuson, Crystal Lake Public Works director

All driveways and businesses along the road will remain open during construction, Crystal Lake Public Works reports on its website.

The 75-year-old road will be completely dug up and rebuilt from scratch, said Director of Public Works Michael Magnuson.

“I think how it was built 75 years ago, what’s underneath the asphalt, just isn’t standing the test of time,” Magnuson said. “It needs to be removed.”

The $6.7 million project is split into three stages and is anticipated to be fully completed in Oct. 2024. It is divided to minimize negative impact to neighbors, businesses and the Lakeside Festival for next year, Magnuson said.

Stage two covers Dole Avenue from Route 14 to Lake Shore Drive and is expected to start in the spring of 2024. Stage three covers from Oak Street to Crystal Lake Avenue and is expected to start in the summer of 2024.

All of the construction will be done by Lenny Hoffman Excavating Inc, Capital Engineering Manager Paul Walter said.

Dole Avenue will be widened just at the intersection of Route 14 to make room for a continuous bike path on both sides of the road. Currently, the bike paths stop at the intersection.

Sidewalks will be widened by one foot to make five-foot wide sidewalks.

Next year’s Independence Day parade, which travels along Dole Avenue, will need to be rerouted since construction will still be happening next summer. The new route will be finalized by this fall.

“Hopefully we don’t have to do this for another 50 plus years,” Magnuson said. “Anybody that drives down Dole can see that the pavement is pretty worn and needs some attention.”