04/27/2026
UPDATE: RT 59 Stormwater Drainage Project
PRESS RELEASE
April 27, 2026
Contact Information: John Lobaito, Village Administrator
[email protected], Phone: 847-381-6000
On April 22, 2026, the Village of North Barrington President and Board of Trustees approved a Resolution authorizing the ex*****on of an agreement with Copenhaver Construction, Inc. for the construction of the Grassmere Farms, Haverton, and Oaksbury Drainage Project in the amount of $2,172,980.
This moment in time is a culmination of incredible intergovernmental cooperation with multiple agencies including the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (“LCSMC”) under the direction of Kurt Woolford, Executive Director, Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”), District 1 Engineer, Jose Rios, the US Army Corp of Engineers, Chicago District.
This area of IL Route 59 has seen chronic flooding which resulted in six (6) road closures due to stormwater impacts. Most recently closed on April 18, 2026, as hazardous driving conditions resulted from water overtopping the highway.
Additionally, the village's street infrastructure has experienced severe flooding for many years, and the failed storm water infrastructure is negatively affecting more than forty (40) properties and more than 250 acres within the watershed area.
In 2023, the Village of North Barrington took the lead in solving this regional problem and executed a design engineering agreement with Robinson Engineering to develop plans that would improve the safety of the motorists and provide flooding relief to impacted properties.
Project improvements include the replacement of a failed stormwater pipe under IL Rte. 59, installation of downstream stormwater conveyance systems including open channels and limited piping, and restoration and enhancement of high-quality wetlands.
When completed this project will significantly reduce the more than 20-year flooding problem on IL Rte. 59 south of IL Rte. 22 in North Barrington, mitigate the flooding on a local street, and provide flooding relief to private property owners.
President Eleanor Sweet McDonnell said, “ This project would not have been possible without the cooperation of the other regulatory agencies and the property owners that willing provided easements through their properties to ensure the project would move forward. Anyone that has traveled the highway during flooded conditions owe a debt of gratitude to the residents that stepped up and became part of the solution to this 20-year unsafe regional flooding problem.”
Funding of the project came from three main sources. In partnership with Lake County Stormwater Management Commission, a grant was secured through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity up to $2.5 million. IDOT is also providing funding for the improvements in the state right-of-way of up to $600,000. Additional funding of $400,000 which North Barrington received in 2020 during the pandemic through the American Rescue Plan Act which can be used for critical infrastructure.
