Riverwoods plans brief Saunders Road closure to speed water-main repair, minimize long-term disruption

Village staff told trustees the Saunders Road project and a nearby Lake County lift-station relocation require coordination to avoid repeated pavement disturbance.

Director Wood said the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has delayed awarding the Saunders Road contract to Builders Paving, and the village is coordinating with Lake County, which plans to move a lift station near Duffy Road. To prevent contractors from disturbing a newly finished road surface, village engineers recommend scheduling replacement of the water main where it crosses Saunders Road during a period of restricted traffic so the full final surface can be laid next year without rework.

Village staff said shutting Saunders Road to through traffic for about two days — likely the week of or the week after Aug. 25 — would shorten the work that otherwise could take about two weeks to roughly 48 hours for the critical cutting and placement of the new water main. Director Wood said local traffic access will be preserved for residents and businesses; detours will be posted via Riverwoods Road or Wilmot and flyers will be distributed to schools, the fire district and the police department.

The village also reported a separate water-main construction at Braeburn tied to the same project and said contractors expect to expand the existing construction fence around the Federal Life detention-area work; the village purchased the fence rather than renting it to limit long-term cost. The board was told the Federal Life demolition and final sitework are largely complete, with one final pay request expected before the project closeout.