Resurfacing Washington Street in Waukegan, between Frolick and Park avenues, is nearly complete after months of work and planning for major roadway changes.
The project will significantly improve mobility for motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users, with improvements scheduled to begin early next year.
Although planning will begin in 2026, Mayor Sam Cunningham said the search for potential grant funding and required engineering work that would precede any construction would delay completion of the Washington Street corridor project by years.
Spending $5.2 million to resurface Washington Street was now a necessity, although Cunningham said the Washington Street corridor project, estimated to cost about $25 million, could be completed in as little as five years or 10 years.
“The road was in such bad shape that it had to be repaved right away,” Cunningham said, referring to the resurfacing project. “The condition of Washington Street was the number one complaint we received from residents.”
Formal planning for the Washington Street Corridor project from Green Bay Road to the Metra train station is expected to begin in early 2026 and, when completed, will complement plans for downtown Waukegan and the lakefront.
“This will be a game changer for pedestrians being able to access our lake,” Cunningham said. “This could be a 10-year project. It will help rebuild Waukegan.”
Because there is more than one way to secure funding through grants or federal programs in which the U.S. government pays for 80% of infrastructure programs and local government adds 20%, Cunningham said the first phase could take several years.
One potential funding source is the Lake County Council of Mayors. The group is one of 11 in the Chicago area that can commit money to infrastructure projects. Cunningham said he is part of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP).
“We plan to submit the project in 2026 for funding in 2027,” he said. “There are annual allocations from CMAP. It may have to be a multi-year plan. Some of them take several years.”
Thomas Maillard, who handles special projects and legislative affairs for the city, said the entire Washington Street corridor project includes road rehabilitation, which is a larger task than the current renovation. Water, sewer and other underground infrastructure will also be refurbished.
Maillard said the project will be multimodal and will aim to improve the stretch of road for pedestrians, cyclists and public transportation such as buses. Intersections will be studied to make changes that will improve efficiency for motorists, such as turn lanes and traffic control devices.
“We are already working on improving bus stops on Washington Street,” Maillard said. “This will include sidewalks and improvements to the Robert McLaury bike path. This may include reconfiguring part of it.”
Once phase one is completed and funding is secured, the project moves into phase two, Cunningham said. This is an extensive and detailed engineering process that allows potential contractors to bid. The third stage is the actual construction.
