Long-needed road work to make for long delays
By KEVIN P. CRAVER - kcraver@nwherald.com
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| A sign at the intersection of Route 31 and Route 176 in Crystal Lake informs motorists Monday that the construction project is being paid for by stimulus money. (Justin Edmonds – jedmonds@nwherald.com) |
Expect delays.
Late spring in Illinois, of course, means barricades, cones and orange signs sprouting up from the ground after the thaw. But with an influx of federal stimulus money and a state mini-capital plan, McHenry County residents can expect a bumper crop.
Drivers this construction season will see detours and slowdowns on most of the area’s vital arteries and a host of smaller ones. But to those who for years have complained that the county has been jilted of road funding, the inconvenience is a good one to have.
Legislators, county residents and businesses had banded together years ago to form the McHenry County Better Roads Coalition, which jokingly called themselves the county’s “Road Warriors,” to fight for a larger slice of funding.
“I think, finally, some of our hard work worked,” County Board Chairman Ken Koehler, R-Crystal Lake, said at Tuesday’s board meeting.
The money comes from the $3 billion state “mini” capital plan approved in April, and the state’s share of the $48 billion allocated for transportation improvements in the $789 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. State lawmakers who represent the county said the funding is leaps and bounds ahead of what the county got under former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
“We did incredible. We did very well,” said state Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo.
As for finding detours, drivers may be out of luck, given the number of projects that have already started or will start soon.
Resurfacing work has started or is scheduled to start on Route 31 from Route 12 to McCullom Lake Road in McHenry, Route 47 from Route 120 to Route 176 in Woodstock, and Route 14 from Bunker Hill Road to Park Lane Drive in Harvard. Work also is scheduled or started to resurface Route 47 in Hebron, Route 173 from Alden Road to the Lake County line, and Route 12 from the Wisconsin state line to Route 173, and from Route 31 to the county line.
Also watch for work this summer on Route 14 near McHenry County College, and the intersection of Routes 31 and 176 in Crystal Lake, as well as pothole patching and other repairs countywide.
The largest inconvenience is Route 23, which was closed last month to through traffic between Harvard and Marengo while workers replace the bridges over the Kishwaukee River and address river overflow. The road will be closed through November, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Work also will begin soon to replace the Allendale Road bridge in Greenwood Township, according to the McHenry County Division of Transportation. It closed the bridge in April over structural integrity concerns.
The projects set for this summer do not include those delineated under a $29 billion full capital plan, the state’s first in more than a decade. Although many of the projects would not begin this year, they include the long-delayed Algonquin Western Bypass and building a full Interstate 90-Route 47 interchange. Other county projects would be funded next year under the smaller mini capital bill as well, said state Rep. Mike Tryon, R-Crystal Lake.
Gov. Pat Quinn, although a supporter of the capital plan, said he would not sign it without a balanced, full-year budget. The bill funds the plan through increased driver’s license and license plate fees, as well as taxes on alcohol and other goods.
“I think eventually the governor will sign the capital bill,” Franks said. “I’d encourage him to sign it sooner rather than later to get our citizens back to work, and get the repairs and rebuilding of our infrastructure we so desperately need.”
Plan ahead
Road work in McHenry County is beginning in earnest under various funding programs. Several of the major improvements include:
• The closing of Route 23 between Marengo and Harvard for bridge repairs.
• The resurfacing of Route 31 from Route 12 to McCullom Lake Road.
• Resurfacing Route 47 from Route 120 to Route 176 in Woodstock.
• Improvements to Route 14 in the area of McHenry County College.
