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The Fairfield Road Planning Study is a Planning and Environmental Linkages study to identify near-term and long-term improvements to address safety, ease traffic congestion, and enhance non-motorized connectivity on Fairfield Road from just north of Gilmer Road to Oakwood Drive.

The Fairfield Road corridor experiences safety concerns resulting in high crash rates and mobility issues such as traffic backups, delays and congestion. The study is needed to identify potential improvements to reduce the risk of crashes and improve traffic mobility in the area.

The overall goal of the study is to create an action plan to modernize the corridor and enhance the surrounding community. The study will assess transportation needs along with economic growth, equity, and quality of life to develop both short-term and long-term recommendations for the corridor. The study will also evaluate project costs and engineering feasibility for future projects.

We need your help to plan for the future of Fairfield Road. Provide feedback, share ideas, and ask questions through the website and at our community conversations.

The study will result in a variety of recommended improvements that will prioritize local connectivity, accessibility, and quality of life, ensuring our community remains an outstanding place to live, raise a family, and start or grow a business.

The study is all about active listening. In the coming months, we’ll gather your thoughts and feedback through conversations, public meetings, and online engagement. We’ll also work with community leaders and organizations to make sure that we’re hearing from an inclusive range of voices and prospectives.

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in the study.

Your input is critical to the success of the study. We will use your ideas and feedback to determine the priorities and recommended improvements needed to modernize the corridor.

The study will recommend a variety of improvements to reduce crashes and ease congestion while positively contributing to the economic vitality and quality of life in the area. The study will balance short-term and long-term needs and will be informed by sound engineering and responsible financial management.

The study beings in Spring 2024 with data collection and analysis, public involvement, and stakeholder engagement. Possible alternatives will be identified during Fall 2024 with stakeholder engagement and public involvement continuing through Spring 2025. Alternatives to be carried forward will be identified in Spring 2025 and the study final report will be available in Summer 2025.

Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) considers environmental, community, and economic goals early in the planning stage and carries them through project development, design, and construction.

The Study Team has collected data on safety, traffic, travel patterns, roadway and bridge conditions, environmental resources, drainage, and community development.

The study team has performed traffic modeling and analyzed land use in the area to forecast and account for potential future growth.

The study will be completed in Fall 2025.

The PEL study will recommend near-term and long-term improvement options. LCDOT will use these improvement options to program future engineering and construction phases along the corridor.

LCDOT anticipates initiating and preliminary engineering study for Fairfield Road from north of Gilmer Road to Illinois 60 in 2025. This segment of Fairfield Road has been identified as high priority based on the high injury network analysis performed as part of the Lake County Safety Action Plan. Other near-term improvements may be implemented as part of a pavement resurfacing project from IL 60 to Nippersink Road in 2026.

The PEL study will recommend mainline alternatives and non-motorized alternatives for the entire corridor. Intersection improvements and specific non-motorized options will be identified during the preliminary engineering studies for each segment of the corridor.

The PEL study has identified multi-use paths, sidewalks, and bike-friendly shoulders as non-motorized alternatives that should be evaluated in segment specific preliminary engineering studies. One or more of those non-motorized alternatives will be included as part of the future segment specific projects.

The PEL study has identified roadway alternatives and non-motorized alternatives for the corridor. Options for intersections, such as Fairfield Road and Chardon Road, will be determined as part of the segment specific preliminary engineering studies. The preliminary engineering study for Gilmer Road to IL 60 will identify intersection improvements for both Chardon Road and IL 60 as the PEL study analysis determined that the high crash risk at Chardon Road is impacted by traffic deficiencies at IL 60.

The PEL study considers potential property impacts at a high-level. During the segment specific preliminary engineering studies, detailed property impacts will be evaluated. It is important to note that there is always a preference to achieve what we can within existing of right-of-way.