Lake Avenue project still in motion with construction still down the road

More than half a million dollars worth of funding is heading toward the much-anticipated Lake Avenue Improvement Project in Wilmette.

Wilmette’s Village Board during its Tuesday, Aug. 25 meeting approved a resolution authorizing a contract of up to $553,340 for Phase II engineering services associated with the local public infrastructure endeavor.

As previously reported by The Record, Wilmette was awarded a $5 million grant in early 2024 to make improvements to Lake Avenue between Green Bay and Sheridan roads.

Officials have previously stated the purpose of the project is to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety along Lake Avenue by working in recommendations from the village’s master bike and active transportation plan.

Additional goals, according to planners, include improving safety at the intersection of Lake Avenue, 11th Street and Wilmette Avenue, addressing poor pavement conditions and aging water main infrastructure as part of the roadway improvements.

In late 2025, village trustees selected preferred alternatives for the project, which include an enhanced stop-controlled intersection at Lake Avenue, Wilmette Avenue and 11th Street; Green Bay Trail crossing improvements; dedicated bike lanes between Green Bay and Wilmette Avenue; and parking lane roadway marking between Wilmette Avenue and Sheridan Road.

The project’s scope of work, per village documents, consists of pavement surface rehab, “intermittent” curb and sidewalk replacement, utility structure repairs, pavement patching, bicycle facility improvements and “parkway beautification” at the 11th Street and Wilmette Avenue intersection.

The water main and lead service line work that’s part of the project, which is not eligible for federal funding, is set to go to bid in the winter of 2027 with construction beginning in 2028.

Roadwork, which will be funded federally, is scheduled to go to bid by the Illinois Department of Transportation in the winter of 2028 with a start date in 2029.

Village Manager Michael Braiman said Tuesday that trustees’ approval marks the shift from the conceptual engineering phase to the design engineering stage.

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