DOT 2018 - 2023 Proposed Highway Improvement Program | Page 9

Overview A safe and effi cient transportation system contributes to quality of life for the residents of Lake County. Lake County businesses also rely on this network to move goods and services through the county and Lake County’s trans- portation network is made up of roads, bridges, bike paths, and other com- ponents owned by: to help people get to their jobs. Our transportation system is one of the most visible and fundamental assets of the county. Maintaining and improving the county’s highway system is essential for a strong local economy, a healthy environment, and for the effi cient move- ment of goods and people. Plan Requirements The 5 Year Program is the scheduling component of the county’s Long Range Transportation Plan. The current Long Range Plan is the Year 2040 Lake County Transportation Priority Plan, endorsed in June 2014. A highway project, particularly an add-lanes project, takes • • • • State of Illinois Lake County 52 municipalities 15 township road districts • Illinois Tollway • Metra • Pace several years of study and engineering to properly address roadway design, drainage, environmental, municipal and public coordination issues. The implementation of the 5-Year Program is a continual pro- cess, like an assembly line. Many of the projects in this program are in varying stages of readiness carried over from previous programs. New projects need to “get on the assembly line”. This plan fulfi lls a portion of Section 5-301, “County Long Range Plan,” of the Illinois Road and Bridge Laws, which requires the County MAIN STREET Engineer to annually update a 20-year Long Range Highway Trans- 2018 - 2023 Proposed Highway Improvement Program • 1