Cars Slide Off Roads, Pipes Break During Deep Freeze

While schools in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff extended their winter breaks and others tried to avoid the harsh winter weather last week, village employees braved the icy roads and sub-zero temperatures to help keep citizens safe.

In Lake Bluff, 95 tons of road salt was used to cover — and recover — the village’s streets from Dec. 31 through last week’s winter storm and frigid temperatures.   

The village maintains only 32 miles of streets, said Public Works Superintendent Jake Terlap, but the salt covered the equivalent of 1,838 miles of roads during that time.

“The village's salt supply is doing well and basically on track, but there is still plenty of winter left and the supply will be watched closely,” he said.

Public Works crews weren’t the only ones forced to brave the weather. During the coldest hours last week, police remained on the streets, conducting many well-being checks on elderly residents, patrolling the roads and exiting their vehicles to respond to a variety of weather-related situations.

The following weather-related incidents were listed among Lake Bluff’s police reports last week:

• 11:39 a.m. Jan. 5: A driver slid off the roadway and got stuck in the snow at Mawman and Scranton avenues. An officer helped the driver get traction and remove the vehicle.
• 5:25 a.m. Jan. 6: Police notified Metra that the lights and bells at the train station’s crosswalk kept going off. 
• 5:45 a.m. Jan. 6: Tenants were evacuated from a three-unit building on the 100 block of East Washington Avenue after a water pipe broke in one of the kitchens.
• 1:07 p.m. Jan. 6: Police assisted a driver with a blown out tire on northbound Route 41 south of Knauz Motors.
• 1:31 p.m. Jan. 6: A vehicle got struck in the snow in the parking lot of the vacant Shephard Chevrolet building. While police were on the scene, a second vehicle got stuck in the snow. Both were towed.
• 3:57 p.m. Jan. 6: Police received a report of a truck that broke down in traffic on northbound Route 41 at Knauz Motors. The driver’s boss arrived to move the truck.
• 4:08 p.m. Jan. 6: Police assisted a motorist with a flat tire on northbound Green Bay Road at Singe Court. The vehicle was towed.
• 5:20 p.m. Jan. 6: An officer found a disabled vehicle on Boardman Court at Bath and Tennis Club Road. The driver stated the vehicle was stuck and it would not moved. Roadside assistance was called to have the vehicle removed.
• 6:35 p.m. Jan. 6: An officer responded to Boardman Court and Bath and Tennis Club Road for a vehicle lockout. The officer gained entry to the vehicle. 
• 6:46 p.m. Jan. 6: An officer conducted a well-being check upon receiving a report of a person walking west along Route 176. The person told the officer she was walking to By the Way Motel. She was given a ride.
• 7:55 a.m. Jan. 7: A broken sprinkler head set off a fire alarm at Inovasi. The fire department shut off the water flow and contacted the Lake County Health Department to assess the situation.
• 10:25 a.m. Jan. 7: A vehicle overheated and would not start on Sheridan Road at Arbor Drive. The vehicle was towed and the occupants got a ride to work from a coworker.
• 1:12 p.m. Jan. 7: A person using a propane heater to thaw pipes set off a fire alarm in a stable on the 700 block of Crabtree Lane.
• 2:04 p.m. Jan. 7: A water pipe broke and set off an alarm in the Carriage Way shopping center.
• 2:44 p.m. Jan. 7: Condensation in the pull boxes activated a fire alarm at The Chevy Exchange.
• 3:27 p.m. Jan. 7: A broken pipe sprayed the fire alarm, activating it, on the 200 block of South Waukegan Road.
• 9:47 a.m. Jan. 8: Police responded to a report of water coming from inside the vacant Dominick’s building, spilling out into the parking lot. Firefighters turned off the water. A representative from the property maintenance company said the problem would be repaired.