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U.S. Route 14 Underpass Update | Oct. 17, 2025

Posted in Aunt Blabby, Barrington Area Library, EJ&E/Canadian National, IDOT, Politics, Taxes, TRAC on October 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“Temporary Route 14 Closure Update: Progress Continues

Construction has been in full force to complete the temporary four-lane Route 14 roadway and the temporary two-lane Lake Zurich Road. Here’s what’s been happening behind the scenes over the past two weeks:

  • Completion of grading, stone placement and temporary Canadian National Railway (CN) train track construction
  • Shifting of train traffic onto the temporary CN tracks
  • Utility main relocations
  • Continued excavation, grading, compaction and construction of the temporary roadways and sidewalk

What’s still to come?

  • Remaining grading and compaction work
  • Asphalt installation for the temporary rail crossing
  • Completion of both temporary road surfaces and lane line markings

The expected opening is still currently anticipated by the end of October.

Thank you for your continued patience and support of all Barrington businesses during this time.

Below are some aerial shots of the transformation. Things continue to look great from above!”

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Barrington Area Council of Governments meets tonight

Posted in 220, BACOG, Barrington Hills Park District, BCFPD, Clown Car, Deception, Ethics, FUBAR, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Look For The Union Label, Mad Cows, Meeting Minutes, OP/Ed, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, School Districts, SNAFU, South Barrington, Taxes, TRAC, Transparency, Village Government, Village President on January 28, 2025| Leave a Comment »

The Barrington Area Council of Governments (BACOG) is scheduled to have multiple meetings today beginning at 5:30 PM at the Village of Barrington Hills, 112 Algonquin Road. Those meetings include:

  • 5:30 – Connectivity
  • 6:30 – Legislative
  • 7:00 – Executive Board

As expected, no meeting agendas are posted by BACOG.  Further, BACOG has ceased posting minutes from their meetings, and they now appear to have removed all previously posted minutes from their website, which now states:

“Copies of approved minutes for BACOG committee and executive board meetings are available upon request. Please submit requests by email to bacog@bacog.org.”

We’ve long questioned the need for BACOG. This is the latest example of why.

It appears BACOG now makes the Barrington Hills Park District/Riding Club and the Barrington Countrywide Fire Protection District seem transparent by comparison, and that’s truly disappointing.

Related: “Anybody heard from BACOG lately?,” “Fuhgeddaboudit,” “Barrington Area Council of Governments meets today”

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Illinois Richest Income City Has a Railroad Going Right Thru It

Posted in Blame Canada, DARCHED, EJ&E/Canadian National, METRA, News Media, Politics, Property Taxes, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, TRAC on July 30, 2024| Leave a Comment »

By Doc Holliday | 1070 KHMO-AM

I’m being honest when I say that this Illinois place doesn’t look like the richest city in the state, but I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s just that when you see a place that has a railroad going right through the middle of it, you don’t automatically equate that with wealth, but in this case it’s true.

This isn’t the result of some bloggers opinion or some new national internet ranking. I simply asked the database at USA.com to query its numbers and show me the richest Illinois cities based on per-capita income. Here are the top 20 results:

1. $125,686 Mettawa, IL / 455
2. $103,788 Glencoe, IL / 8,824
3. $98,139 Winnetka, IL / 12,366
4. $97,381 Kenilworth, IL / 2,648
5. $91,623 Inverness, IL / 7,516
6. $91,555 Barrington Hills, IL / 3,653
7. $86,004 Lake Forest, IL / 18,914
8. $81,213 Oak Brook, IL / 7,967
9. $79,535 Hinsdale, IL / 16,898
10. $78,978 Riverwoods, IL / 3,792
11. $78,326 North Barrington, IL / 3,105
12. $77,903 Wayne, IL / 2,445
13. $75,185 South Barrington, IL / 4,811
14. $71,282 The Galena Territory, IL / 1,116
15. $70,886 Burr Ridge, IL / 10,678
16. $68,688 Highland Park, IL / 29,819
17. $67,595 Long Grove, IL / 8,017
18. $67,116 Wilmette, IL / 27,345
19. $67,084 Lincolnshire, IL / 7,270
20. $66,662 Hawthorn Woods, IL / 7,727
More here.

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‘Neighborhood at risk’: Barrington residents fear underpass construction’s impact

Posted in BACOG, Barrington Area Library, DARCHED, EJ&E/Canadian National, Politics, Real Estate, Road construction, Topics Of Interest, TRAC on April 3, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Trees have been cut down and homes demolished around Rout 14 in Barrington to clear the way for the construction of an underpass beneath the Canadian National railroad tracks nearby. | Paul Valade/Daily Herald

By Steve Zalusky | Daily Herald

More than 1,200 trees stretching across six acres along Route 14 in Barrington have been taken down in recent weeks, clearing the way for a long-sought underpass beneath the Canadian National railroad tracks.

A priority for more than a decade, village leaders say the $94.1 million project will provide a faster and safer trip for drivers who often find themselves backed up in long delays at the tracks. It’ll also ease concerns about emergency vehicles getting stuck waiting for slow-moving freight trains to clear, officials say.

But while drivers may be eagerly awaiting the work’s completion in about two years, not everyone is embracing the project.

Homeowners in the historic Jewel Park subdivision north of Route 14 have seen dozens of their neighborhood trees removed and six homes razed — with two more set to face demolition — significantly altering the appearance of their community.

Crews later this year will replace the leveled homes and trees with a temporary 4-lane roadway that will carry Route 14 traffic through the area during construction of the underpass.

“They have got to basically move Route 14 on a temporary basis,” said Terry Riordan, a member of the Jewel Park Homeowners Association. “And they have chosen to go into our neighborhood.”

Established in 1925 by the Jewel Tea Co., the subdivision consists of more than 80 homes north the underpass site. Concerned about the project’s impact on their neighborhood, members of the homeowners association have met with Barrington officials several times and even walked through the project area with village representatives.

Read more here.

Related: “Jewel Park residents share their concerns regarding the U.S. Route 14/CN Underpass project”

(Click on image to enlarge)

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“Barrington’s News You Can Use” by Karen Darch

Posted in DARCHED, EJ&E/Canadian National, METRA, Politics, Public Safety, School Districts, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, TRAC, Traffic, Unions on March 22, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Village of Barrington President Karen Darch

“This past Tuesday, our community came together at Barrington’s White House for two Rail Safety Sessions hosted in conjunction with Metra. Since the tragic death of Barrington High School student Marin Lacson in January, we have all placed a renewed emphasis on ensuring that our residents stay safe around the rails in Barrington.

At the Community Rail Safety Sessions, Metra representatives emphasized obeying all warning signals and crossing gates; waiting until a train is fully passed and warning lights and bells have ceased and gates are deactivated before venturing across the tracks (as often a second train might be blocked by the first); never driving or walking around lowered gates; and paying attention to markings on the crossings and platforms.

In addition, Metra representatives reminded us that disobeying a rail signal is not only a serious safety issue, it’s illegal. First-time offenders in vehicles can incur up to a $500 fine for trespassing on the tracks when the grade crossing warning devices are activated. Second and subsequent violations can incur doubled fines. This type of violation requires an appearance in court and may result in a six-month suspension of a driver’s license if repeat offenses are committed.

Finally, if you do find yourself witnessing or becoming involved in a train crossing accident, or if you see a problem on the tracks, find the Emergency Notification Systems “blue sign” (see below) that is located at every rail crossing and call the 1-800 number. This sign gives the public critical emergency contact information at every grade crossing, enabling the public to reach the railroad responsible for the crossing and to identify the specific crossing in the event of an emergency.

I hope you have a safe and wonderful weekend.”

Karen Darch
Village President

Editorial note: Can’t make this up…

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Jewel Park residents share their concerns regarding the U.S. Route 14/CN Underpass project

Posted in 220, BACOG, Barrington Area Library, Bicyclists, EJ&E/Canadian National, Going green, Guest Essay, IDOT, Land Use, OP/Ed, Organizations, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Road construction, School Districts, Topics Of Interest, TRAC, Traffic, Transparency, Unions on March 1, 2024| 2 Comments »

As you may have seen in the recent News You Can Use communication from the Village of Barrington (seen here) the U.S. Route 14/CN Underpass project is expected to begin this spring.

The Village plans to begin clear-cutting approximately 10 acres of old-growth trees on 8 empty lots in the Jewel Park subdivision as well as along Route 14, Lake Zurich Rd., and next to the Barrington Area Library. The Village has marked the areas where the old-growth trees will be removed with orange stakes and orange tree bands.

A group of concerned Jewel Park residents has been actively discussing the project with the Village of Barrington, IDOT, and Civil Tech over the last several years.

We met with the Village again on Friday, February 9th to discuss the start of the project. We raised additional questions/concerns about the status on funding, realistic start and completion dates, safety issues, and early removal of old-growth trees.

Our focus has been to confirm that all funding sources listed in the following website are in place and available. In addition, the Contractors have been selected and have agreed to the cost and timeline estimates, and the project is completed in the quickest, safest, and most efficient manner with the least amount of disruption to Jewel Park and the surrounding areas.

Please note the excerpt from the February 2020 Village of Barrington newsletter below which projected the project would be completed in 2024.

“4. And Finally – The Route 14 Underpass Of course the biggest traffic-reduction project of all is now moving forward with the recent award of $48 million for the Route 14 underpass near Lake Zurich Road. The underpass will have the largest impact on traffic and safety in our community by providing a free-flowing, train-free passage around town once it is complete in approximately 2024. Phase II engineering work is being coordinated, with the construction phase expected to begin as early as fall 2022. You’ll undoubtedly be hearing more about this important project in the months to come.”

In our meeting we raised several questions/concerns and learned additional information which we have highlighted below:

  • What is the status on all the funding sources? (See the funding sources listed on Barrington’s website: https://www.barrington-il.gov/underpass). The Village informed us during the meeting that the Surface Transportation Program (STP) for $48,000,000 is set to expire in April 2024. An extension will need to be granted before April 2024 and is currently an open item and is yet to be confirmed. The STP has allocated $2,000,000 to the project in 2024.
  • The Shared Surface Transportation Grant Program is funded by the Highway Trust Fund which has been running at a deficit since 2008 and is currently funded through the Treasury’s general fund due to funding shortfalls. A Congressional subcommittee is studying how the Highway Trust Fund will be funded after the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act expires in 2026.
  • The “Letting” process to select a General Contractor has been delayed for the 4th time in the last year and is projected to start June 14, 2024. The “Letting” process typically takes 90 days to complete and could be impacted by the competitive environment for Contractors due to the large number of Illinois construction projects.
  • A new Culvert must be built under Route 59 before Flint Creek can be moved and a temporary Route 14 detour can be built in Jewel Park and around the curve to the Library.
  • In addition, a temporary Shoo Fly Rail Track must also be built with crossings before the temporary Route 14 can be built. The Village informed us that the CN has not provided any information on when they will begin construction of the temporary Shoo Fly Rail Track.
  • The Village informed us that Commonwealth Edison will temporarily relocate utilities to run along Elm Rd and will move them back along Route 14 once the project is complete. They also stated that the utilities will need to be moved in 2024 to prepare for the project.
  • The Village has stated the current estimated completion time for the project is 18-24 months. There is a very similar underpass project in Washougal, Washington which is also building an underpass under the CN railroad track crossing which averages 45 trains per day. The project is significantly less complex than the Route 14 Underpass, estimated to cost $50,000,000 and the construction timeline estimate is 36-54 months.
  • The residents of Jewel Park have raised several questions regarding the project which we have listed below:
    • When will the Surface Transportation Grant be extended and will there be enough funding for the project long-term based on funding for the US Highway Trust Fund is set to expire in 2026?
    • Will the “Letting “ process be delayed again and will a General Contractor agree to the estimated project cost and timeline?
    • When will actual construction work begin -10/2024 or later?
    • If a significant amount of work needs to be completed on a Route 59 culvert to move Flint Creek and CN Shoo Fly Rail Track before Route 14 can be moved why start tree removal in 3/2024?
    • Why do utilities need to be moved in 2024 if the earliest that construction will start on a temporary Route 14 will be in 2025?
    • Why would the Washougal, Washington project take 18-30 months longer than the Route 14 Underpass?

In summary, we wanted to be sure that you were aware of the Village of Barrington’s current plans, the status of the funding and “Letting“ process, etc., and the fact that the tree removal process has been moved to before a General Contractor is selected. As a result, the residents of Jewel Park and others in Barrington have requested that the Village delay the removal of the old-growth trees until a Contractor is confirmed and ready to move forward, funding is 100% certain and the pre-construction work is ready to begin on the project.

Concerned Residents of Jewel Park

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UPDATED: Barrington’s News You Can Use

Posted in DARCHED, Deception, EJ&E/Canadian National, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Topics Of Interest, TRAC on February 9, 2024| 1 Comment »

mail

Frau Darch

A Message from Karen Darch
An Update on Ongoing Rail Crossing Action Steps

Dear Barrington Residents:

It has been just over two weeks since the tragic accident that occurred at our train tracks in the Village. As we as a community grieve the loss of high school student Marin Lacson and work to process this tragedy, I wanted to take a moment to let you know about several concrete action steps that we as a Village, in coordination with the numerous other involved agencies, are taking to address safety at our rail crossings.

We continue to actively discuss all rail crossings in the Village, including the crossing at Hillside adjacent to Route 14, as part of our ongoing conversations with the Illinois Commerce Commission. As we receive information relative to particular crossings, we are working to share that feedback with the community. No crossings are being excluded from ongoing conversations or future planning.

Earlier this week, you may have seen communication about immediate action steps we are taking to address rail safety; click HERE to view an overview sheet outlining these steps. They include action in the areas of Safety & Education, Signage, Pedestrian Crossing Gates, and Elimination of Rail Crossings. Notably, these steps include the Route 14 underpass near Lake Zurich Road (construction beginning this year) and also a future pedestrian underpass at Main Street and the CN tracks, a crossing that is utilized by many high school students each day. Federal funding has already been secured for preliminary engineering design of this pedestrian underpass.

I also wanted to let you know that just this week, we received confirmation from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) that, following a year of proactive coordination, they have secured an agreement with CN to install new vehicular and pedestrian gates at the same rail crossing on Main Street just east of Barrington High School. The installation of the new gates is scheduled for this year; we will share additional information on timing as the project is coordinated.

Given the number of rail crossings in downtown Barrington, rail safety is of the utmost importance to our community. As a Village, it falls on all of us to work together not only to secure infrastructure improvements but also to educate about and promote rail safety to our residents and children. Thank you all for doing your part.

I hope you have a safe and enjoyable weekend.

Karen Darch
Village President

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Education officials respond to concerns of ‘radical’ ideology in classrooms

Posted in 220, 300, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Deception, Ethics, His Master's Voice, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, TRAC, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on September 7, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Bishop 1

At Fairfield Elementary in Springfield Wednesday U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker meet. Greg Bishop / The Center Square

Education officials are reacting to concerns over political activism, rather than education, being in the classroom.

With the new school year in full swing for most of the state, national and state education officials made visits to Illinois schools.

Bishop 2

At Fairfield Elementary in Springfield Wednesday U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and talk with education officials. Greg Bishop / The Center Square

Before a visit to Fairfield Elementary in Springfield featuring Gov. J.B. Pritzker and U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Illinois U.S. Mary Miller, R-Oakland, released a statement saying Pritzker and Cardona oppose parental rights “and believe young children should be indoctrinated with radical ‘gender ideology’ politics in the classroom behind their parents’ backs.”

“Parents should be in charge of their child’s education, not radical politicians like Pritzker and Cardona who believe teachers should be discussing chemical castration and gender reassignment with your child,” Miller said.

Shannon Adcock, founder of the parents’ rights group Awake Illinois, said educators must focus on education.

“I would hope they would start talking about literacy, about proficiency and how they’re actually going to focus on academic outcomes in the classroom, not political activism, not waging continued war on parental rights,” Adcock told The Center Square.

Pritzker said despite state data showing some areas with low proficiencies in math and reading, the state is educating children.

“We always want to do better. We want our kids to do better, and in fact we’ve invested in that in the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said as he praised federal taxpayer resources for public education.

Read more here.

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Canadian National rail crossing repairs begin this morning in downtown Barrington

Posted in Community Alerts, DARCHED, EJ&E/Canadian National, Public Safety, Road construction, TRAC, Traffic, Unions on July 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Hough and James

Per the Village of Barrington:

“Following last year’s pavement improvements at the CN track crossing on Hough Street, CN will be replacing the vehicular train gates and adding pedestrian train gates at this location starting on Tuesday, July 11th.

Work is anticipated to last approximately 2 weeks. The road will remain open during this work, however, certain operations will require lane closures with flagged traffic direction. Expect delays and please reduce speed in work zones.”

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Correction: Barrington approves plan to redevelop downtown ‘Golden Triangle’

Posted in 220, BACOG, DARCHED, Deception, EJ&E/Canadian National, METRA, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, School Districts, TRAC, Traffic, Transparency on March 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Darch Triangle

Barrington village trustees unanimously approved plans Monday to redevelop the 6.2-acre Golden Triangle site downtown with a four-story building that will includes homes, retail space and a restaurant. (Courtesy of the Village of Barrington)

A proposal for a mixed-use development in downtown Barrington’s 6.2-acre Golden Triangle area passed its final test this week.

Barrington village board members unanimously approved the development at 200-300 N. Hough St. Monday, clearing the way for a four-story building on the former Market Center and Volvo dealership property.

The building will contain 125 residential units and 12,000 square feet of commercial restaurant/retail space. The proposal also calls for 37 “car condominiums.”

Developer and Barrington resident Joe Taylor said he plans to operate a full-service restaurant on the property that will not replicate what already exists downtown Barrington.

Read more here.

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