The intersection of Barrington and Palatine Roads is staged for lane closures to begin.
Scope: Resurface Barrington Road between Dundee Road (IL Route 68) and Algonquin Road (IL Route 62).
Status: Work is expected to begin ‘no later than May 15′ and be completed by the end of July. Motorists can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through this area. Drivers are urged to pay close attention to flaggers and signs in work zones, obey the posted speed limits and be on the alert for workers and equipment.
Kane County officials are hoping their counterparts in Cook and McHenry counties will contribute toward the cost of the Longmeadow Parkway project and help avert charging tolls at the bridge over the Fox River. Daily Herald File Photo
Funding issues have dogged the Longmeadow Parkway traffic project in northeast Kane County virtually since its inception with a $4 million federal grant in 2005. As the $135 million roadway lumbers toward a late 2024 completion, one lingering, important question remains — how to pay off $35 million in bonds Kane County used to help with the construction and support ongoing maintenance.
The ultimate fallback has long been assumed to be to make the Longmeadow Parkway Bridge, the final leg of the project, a toll bridge, the only such local toll bridge in the state. Almost no one likes that option, though, and Kane County officials have said it might be averted altogether if McHenry and Cook counties, portions of which are served by the 5.6-mile roadway, will pitch in $1 million each in recognition of the fact that their constituents will benefit substantially from the traffic-relief valve running from Huntley and Boyer roads eastward to Route 62 in Algonquin.
McHenry County Board Chair Mike Buehler acknowledged the benefits in an interview with Shaw Local Media last week. While coming well short of agreeing to Kane County’s request, Buehler did note that some estimates have found motorists from McHenry County would pay $1 million a year if the bridge ends up charging a toll.
“If we’re looking at a scenario where a toll would be eliminated, I think that would be a pretty compelling argument,” Buehler said.
The argument may not be quite as persuasive in Cook County, where just a small sliver near Barrington Hills would be most affected, but then again $1 million out of Cook’s multibillion-dollar budget is substantially less noticeable than it would be compared to the much smaller revenue picture in McHenry.
And, in both counties as well as Kane, the new road is expected to result in hundreds of millions of dollars in new business activity. This, of course, in addition to the parkway’s primary purpose of alleviating long years of bad traffic headaches in the region.
NASCAR’s Chicago Street race is slated to take over the city for the Fourth of July holiday weekend, but the impacts for drivers will be felt long before and after the race is done.
Officials on Monday detailed a traffic plan, featuring more than a month of rolling closures around the city in the lead-up and tear-down for the first-time event.
Closures will include major roadways like DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Columbus Drive, Jackson Drive, Balbo Drive and Michigan Avenue and are expected to kick off on June 2 and continue through July 15, adding to a long list of traffic disruptions for drivers in the city already battling major construction projects on the Kennedy Expressway and elsewhere.
The biggest interruptions are slated to begin on June 25. (Full list of closures below)
On top of the closures, officials said they expect roughly 50,000 people to attend each day of the two-day event.
“The city of Chicago has been working with NASCAR in the planning and execution of the race to minimize disruptions to residents and visitors while making it a safe event for everyone,” Rich Guidice, executive director of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications, said in a statement. “Safety is our top priority, and we will help monitor all race activity leading up to the event, through the race weekend, and following the event to help coordinate city resources and expectations.”
The deal between NASCAR and the city of Chicago, which was announced last summer, gives NASCAR access to Grant Park from June 22 to July 5.
In three weeks, IDOT will start a major rehabilitation of 36 bridges that go over the Kennedy Expressway.
Some of those structures are 50 years old.
“We reached and exceeded what would be the lifespan of this roadway. And, for the motorists, you can see the state of disrepair that the road decks are in, and now is the time to repair that,” said IDOT Bureau Chief of Construction Jonathan Schumacher.
It will be a three-year project between the Edens/Kennedy Junction and Ohio Street. This year, the focus will be on the inbound Kennedy, starting with the left two lanes later next month.
“We are going to tackle some other project that would have impact if we didn’t do them all together, so we are coordinating this work over a three-year period. We’re able to get multiple projects done,” Schumacher said.
The concrete patching taking place at the intersection of Lake Cook Road and Northwest Highway is part of the Main St resurfacing project being completed by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).
The overnight lane closures in place right now are necessary due to the nature of the concrete patching process. IDOT has indicated that the open patches will be poured either tomorrow, Friday 11/18 or Saturday 11/19.
They will continue with removals early next week and aim to reopen the entire intersection on Wednesday 11/23 before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
There will be another round of patching the week after Thanksgiving but this is expected to be completed by the end of the week, Friday 12/2.”
“This week, the Contractor laid asphalt prime, a liquid coating that is applied before the second (surface) layer of asphalt is placed.
Beginning Monday (October 10), the Contractor will be laying the final layer of asphalt from Northwest Highway to Hart Road and expect to have all paving completed by the end of the week, weather permitting. There will be delays associated with lane closures in this area during this work.
Pavement striping and final restoration work will follow.
We understand the frustration with this construction and the associated traffic delays and congestion. While this is not a Village project, we will continue to share updates from IDOT and are looking forward to the completion of this significant improvement in our community!”
“Monday (9/26) the Contractor will complete milling work on Main Street adjacent to the CN railroad tracks under the supervision of CN railroad flaggers and will begin paving operations at one or both of these railroad crossings, which will continue on Tuesday (9/27).
There will be delays associated with lane closures in this area during this work. The Contractor’s flaggers will maintain two-way traffic. Manhole grade adjustments will also be underway on Main Street throughout the Village during the rest of the week and into the beginning of next week.
Be alert when driving or walking in the construction zone, as this work will raise the structures approximately 2″ above the pavement so they are at the final roadway surface elevation. The placement of the final asphalt surface is anticipated to begin at Ela Road and move westbound beginning early next week.”
Tuesday morning (9/20) at 7:00 AM, IDOT’s Contractor will begin paving work on Main Street just east of Route 59 (Hough Street) and will move westbound toward Hart Road. The contractor anticipates remaining east of the CN tracks through the end of the morning school drop-off and then will complete asphalt work at the Hart and Main intersection ahead of school letting out in the afternoon.
While this moving operation will still impact traffic, the Village appreciates the Contractor’s assistance in mitigating impacts directly at the Hart Road and Main Street intersection during heavy traffic times. There will continue to be delays associated with lane closures during paving operations. Should weather continue to cooperate, the placement of a second layer of asphalt throughout the Village will begin this week and could be completed as early as the end of this month, leaving only roadway striping work remaining.
We understand the frustration with this construction and the associated traffic delays and congestion. While this is not a Village project, we will continue to share updates from IDOT and are looking forward to the completion of this significant improvement in our community!”
Illinois drivers whose I-PASS transponders have expired have been given a reprieve by state officials, with Tollway authorities extending the expiration date by two years.
According to a spokesperson for the Tollway, expiration dates that occur between 2020 and 2026 will be extended by two years, with those individuals receiving detailed instructions via mail on the procedure for replacing their devices.
Officials say that the move not only gives drivers an additional grace period, but also fits more in line with the life expectancy of the devices, which are expected to function properly for 10 or more years.
Tolls are now exclusively paid digitally in Illinois, and as a result officials are encouraging residents to switch to I-PASS accounts. Those drivers who sign up for the program will save 50% on all tolls within the Illinois Tollway system, and accounts automatically replenish when they get below a preset level.
Drivers who want to sign up for the program can order transponders online via the Tollway’s website, or they can visit I-PASS customer service centers, located in oases within the system. Jewel-Osco grocery stores also sell the devices, which can then be activated online.
Drivers can also sign up for E-ZPass, which is a program accepted in 19 different states.
Finally, drivers who don’t frequently use the Tollway can participate in the “Pay-by-Plate” program, which allows a grace period of 14 days to pay for missed tolls.
Alternate locations for parking and drop off/pick up will be available for Barrington High School students when school resumes next week, as a result of the closure of Hart Road. The closure, necessary while workers build a new bridge over Flint Creek, is expected to continue through Nov. 4.
As Barrington High School students and parents prepare for the upcoming academic year, school and village officials are setting up alternate parking and drop off/pick up locations needed because of the closure of Hart Road.
A main access point to the school, the road is expected to be closed until Nov. 4 while workers construct a new bridge over Flint Creek.
Alternate locations, where students can park or be dropped off and then get a shuttle bus to school, include the downtown Metra lot; St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 720 Dundee Ave and the parking lot at The Barrington office complex, 540 W. Northwest Highway.
The Barrington village board Monday approved a licensing agreement with Bourns Inc., the owner of the office center. Bourns is allowing use of up to 125 parking spaces and a spot for shuttles to pick up students beginning on the first day of school, Aug. 22.
The agreement runs through Nov. 30, although it will continue on a month-to-month basis for up to six months, if necessary. The village will pay a fee of $7,500 and be reimbursed by Barrington Community Unit 220 School District. The school district also will indemnify the village on the property.
Marie Hansen, Barrington’s director of development services, told the village board Monday that parking permit sales are underway. Thus far, she said, 31 students have signed up for the Metra parking lot, 29 for the Bourns location, and 20 have requested space at St. Matthew.
Parking permits are $100 each. Applications have been sent directly to the students’ families by the school district.
The village also is encouraging students to take regularly scheduled school buses.
“CONSTRUCTION UPDATE November 17, 2022
