If you've driven Green Bay Road lately, you already know it's closed, the detour adds time, and it's not getting better anytime soon.

Furthermore, about 20 homes along Green Bay Road will need their water service lines relocated to a newer main, adding an estimated $120,000 to Lake Bluff's $8 million road reconstruction project.

The Lake Bluff Village Board of Trustees placed Change Order No. 1 for the Green Bay Road Reconstruction Project on its consent agenda Monday, June 22. Village Engineer Jeff Hansen told the board at its June 8 meeting that the Village had believed all west-side water services were already transferred to a newer main, but roughly 20 connections remained on the older pipe and must be moved.

"Approximately twenty services remained connected to the older main and now must be relocated," Hansen said at the June 8 meeting.

The Illinois Department of Transportation reviewed and validated contractor Campanella Construction's pricing for the additional work. Grant funding covers approximately 75 percent of the overall $8 million project investment. Whether that grant share extends to the change order amount was not specified in available Village documents.

The change order comes as demolition work runs behind schedule. A June 18 Village update acknowledged that demolition activities are taking longer than anticipated and will continue into early July. Green Bay Road remains closed to through traffic between West Scranton Avenue (Route 176) and West Witchwood Lane, with a signed detour routing motorists to Waukegan Road.

Residents on East and West Terrace have dealt with cut-through traffic since construction began in late April. The Village installed temporary 20-mph speed limits, speed humps, and no-parking zones on several streets. Trustee Brian Rener, who lives on East Terrace, reported at the June 8 meeting that many vehicles cutting through the neighborhood lack Village stickers and appear to be using side streets to bypass the closure. Village Administrator R. Drew Irvin said preliminary data shows traffic volumes on those streets are declining.

Hansen said East and West Terrace residents will likely need to detour through Lake Forest during certain intersection reconstructions. The Village has prioritized reopening roadway sections near schools before classes resume in the fall.

Phase 1 runs through November 2026, covering roadwork from south of Route 176 to south of West Witchwood Lane. Phase 2, including bridge reconstruction and the remaining segment to the Lake Forest border, is scheduled for February through August 2027.

Residents can reach resident engineer Dave Bottcher at (847) 650-7542 with construction questions, or visit lakebluff.org for project updates and Smart911 notifications.