Stretch of eastbound Route 176 in Crystal Lake to close Monday

The eastbound lane of Route 176 between Main Street and Park Boulevard in Crystal Lake will close starting Monday until Aug. 8.

The closure is part of the North Main Street and Route 176 improvement project, which includes a new traffic signal, turn lanes and water main improvements, according to a city news release. The overall project is expected to be completed in October.

The city received $1.5 million in federal funding and $186,500 in state dollars for the project, according to the project website.

The overall cost of the project is $4.5 million, of which the city will be paying close to $2.8 million, Crystal Lake Public Works Director Mike Magnuson said.

An eastbound detour for Route 176 will be required in June for the remainder of the water main work, according to a release.

The detour route for the eastbound Route 176, which is Terra Cotta Avenue in that location, will be Route 14, from the Virginia Street stretch to where it turns in to Northwest Highway, to Route 31. The westbound lanes on Route 176 will remain open.

While the detour adds two miles for drivers headed east through Crystal Lake, Magnuson said the route was necessary as Route 176 is a state highway and the city needed to find an equivalent truck route.

“You don’t want to detour large trucks onto residential streets,” Magnuson said.