Road Revamps Get Underway On El Toro, Jeronimo

Two major road projects that will intermittently close lanes on some of Lake Forest's busiest thoroughfares kicked off this week.

Earlier this week, the city broke ground on El Toro and Jeronimo roads, both of which are undergoing construction intended to slow speeding drivers and make the roadways safer.

During construction, the inside lanes on El Toro Road and Jeronimo Road in both directions will close temporarily due to an open excavation in the middle of the street.

Temporary lane closures on El Toro Road begin the week of Nov. 7. Expect to see traffic cones, barricades and signs set up in the days leading up to the closures. The improvements, which will go in from Muirlands Boulevard to Jeronimo Road, include installation of landscape improvements to the existing median, slopes and enhancements to the bridge overcrossing.

Jeronimo Road closures begin the week of Nov. 21. From Los Alisos Boulevard to El Toro Road, the construction will erect raised landscaped medians, repave the entire roadway and add parkway landscaping improvements.

The closures should last approximately three weeks until the median curbs are built and the asphalt is patched. The lanes will reopen while other construction continues.

Aside from the temporary lane closures, traffic lane closures will be limited to 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Construction in the area may begin before that time however, as work outside of the street is allowed from 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Message boards are up at the El Toro and Jeronimo intersection informing drivers of the impending roadwork.

The deadline for the completion of pair of construction projects is May 2012.

Plans to improve El Toro, Jeronimo and Rockville Boulevard garnered  in March after the  to recommend that the state kick in $500,000 per project.

The three projects are part of an effort to overhaul the look of Lake Forest's major thoroughfares with landscaped medians and roadsides. Studies show that such measures will make people drive more slowly along the roads and thereby reduce the number of accidents on them, city staff says.

The Rockville project is expected to begin in January 2012.