Stearns School Road Reopens Ahead of Schedule

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Update: February 15, 2022

The Stearns School Road Emergency Repair project was selected as the winner of the APWA Chicago Metro Chapter’s Project of the Year Award for Disaster or Emergency Construction / Repair – Less than $5 Million by the American Public Works Association and has received the Metro Chapter’s endorsement for the National Awards competition.

Update: December 28, 2021

The Stearns School Road Emergency Repair project was selected for a 2022 APWA Lake Branch Project of the Year Award for Disaster or Emergency Construction / Repair – Less than $5 Million by the American Public Works Association, Chicago Metropolitan Chapter, Lake Branch. The APWA Public Works Project of the Year Award was established to promote excellence in the management, administration, and implementation of public works projects by recognizing the alliance between the managing agency, consultant, architect, engineer, and contractor who work together to complete public works projects. Projects submitted to the Disaster or Emergency Construction Repair category must highlight the techniques and timing for safety, community relations, environmental protection, adverse conditions, and additional considerations. Congratulations to the Lake County Division of Transportation and the team of consultants, Campanella & Sons, Inc. and Midland Standard Engineering & Testing, Inc. Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick, Inc. (HLR) is honored to have been a part of this team! Awards will be presented at the Lake Branch meeting in January of 2022 and the Stearns School Road Emergency Repair project will be forwarded to the Chicago Metro Chapter to be considered for the Chapter award.

Update: November 23, 2021

The Stearns School Road Emergency Repair project was selected for a 2022 ACEC-Illinois Engineering Excellence Merit Award by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois. The Engineering Excellence Awards Competition recognizes projects of engineering achievement by Illinois consulting engineering firms. Entries are judged on the basis of engineering excellence, the degree to which the client’s needs are met, and the benefits to the public welfare and private practice of engineering. This year, ACEC-Illinois will present 33 awards: 14 Merit Awards, 9 Special Achievement Awards and 10 Honor Awards. 9 projects will receive Judge’s Choice Awards and one Honor Award winner will receive the highest award, the 2021 Lincoln’s Grand Conceptor which will be announced at the Awards Gala in February of 2022. Congratulations to the Lake County Division of Transportation and the team of consultants, Campanella & Sons, Inc. and Midland Standard Engineering & Testing, Inc. Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick, Inc. (HLR) is honored to have been a part of this team!

Before After

Stearns School Road reopened ahead of schedule, following emergency repairs to a culvert causing roadway collapse over Mill Creek near Gurnee, IL.

In March of 2021, the Lake County Division of Transportation (LCDOT) closed a section of Stearns School Road, between Hutchins Road and Hunt Club Road, after discovering that a culvert was failing. The culvert, which enables water to flow under the road, and the roadway collapsed just days after the road was closed.

Stearns School Road is known to be a heavily-traveled road, prompting the Lake County Division of Transportation to expeditiously develop a repair plan and reopen the road. The Lake County Division of Transportation engaged Hampton, Lenzini and Renwick, Inc. (HLR) to provide:

Structural inspection of existing culverts
Wetland delineation and report
Land, route, and stream survey within the project area
Coordination and permitting with Lake County Stormwater Management Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Water Resources (IDNR-OWR)
Mill Creek hydraulic model to determine appropriate emergency measure
Preliminary, Pre-Final, and Final Plans for the emergency improvement
Clean Construction and Demolition Debris (CCDD) for contractor disposal

The work involved in the emergency culvert and roadway repairs was expected to take a number of weeks to complete, but the road reopened on Monday, May 24, two weeks ahead of schedule. The second stage of the project, which includes the design and permitting for a new bridge, is currently in progress and expected to begin in 2022, succeeding the completion of the Illinois Tollway’s Stearns School Road Bridge over the Tri-State Tollway (I-94).

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