Our Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting beginning this evening at 6:30 PM. A copy of the agenda can be viewed and downloaded here.
Archive for the ‘Road construction’ Category
Work to remove lead-tainted soil that’s delaying finish of Longmeadow Parkway to start this spring, officials say
Posted in County, Going green, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Kane, Land Use, Longmeadow Parkway, Plan Commission, Politics, Real Estate, Road construction, Topics Of Interest on March 4, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Completion of the Longmeadow Parkway Corridor, which runs from Huntley Road in Carpentersville to Route 62 in Barrington Hills and includes the new toll bridge over the Fox River seen here, has been delayed by the need to remove lead-contaminated soil in the project’s final phase. (Mike Danahey / The Courier-News)
Removal of the lead-contaminated soil that’s held up completion of the $115 million Longmeadow Parkway Bridge Corridor is to begin this spring, Kane County Division of Transportation officials said.
The 5.6-mile regional road, which runs from Huntley Road in Carpentersville to Route 62 in Barrington Hills and includes a new toll bridge over the Fox River, is partially open but completion has been at a standstill because of the 60,000 cubic square feet of tainted dirt that requires special removal and disposal.
Kane County Board members approved a new contract in February under which the soil will be treated on site before it’s disposed of, said Steve Coffinbarger, division of transportation assistant director.
“We’ve made progress,” he said. “We’ll get started on that this spring.”
Once that work is finished in spring 2024, they can accept bids for the last stage of paving work needed, Coffinbarger said. If all goes according to plan, the entire roadway — including the bridge — will be open before the end of 2024, he said.
County and state officials have known there was contaminated soil on the site for decades. The former owner of the gun range site has been working with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to remove the lead, Coffinbarger said.
Read more here.
Special Roads & Bridges Committee meeting cancelled
Posted in Agenda, Cuba Rd Bridge, FUBAR, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, TMI on March 2, 2023| Leave a Comment »
A Special Roads & Bridges Committee meeting scheduled for 1:15 PM today has been cancelled (again). A copy of the agenda to have been covered can be found here.
The next regularly scheduled committee meeting is March 16th. The last time the committee met was November 8th, 2002.
IDOT to begin 3-year project on 36 bridges over Kennedy Expressway; closures expected
Posted in Cook, County, IDOT, Illinois Tollway, Road construction, Taxes, Traffic on March 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »
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 project comes after IDOT just completed the Jane Byrne interchange project that took nine years.
“It’s frustrating, but I guess we’ll have to be patient and be safe,” said motorist Stephon Asbury.
The inconvenience is not lost on IDOT officials.
More here.
Some perspectives on the proposed 2023 Appropriations Ordinance
Posted in Deception, Ethics, Financial Reports, One Barrington Hills, OP/Ed, Politics, Property Taxes, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, Taxes, TMI, Village Engineer, Village Government, Village President on February 27, 2023| 3 Comments »
There will be a Public Hearing this evening at 6:30 PM at Village Hall to hear comments on the proposed Village of Barrington Hills Annual Appropriation Ordinance. A copy of the proposal can be found here, and the 2022 ordinance is available here for comparison.
The proposed 2023 Appropriation represents an increase of $1,029,899, reflecting an 11.4 percent increase. The categorical increases comparison to 2022 are as follows:
The proposed 2023 Roads and Bridges Appropriation is $2,124,500, compared to the amount approved in 2022 of $1,433,160, or a 48.2 percent increase. The reasons are revealed in recordings of the November 8, 2022, two-hour Roads and Bridges Committee meeting found here, but we’ll focus on the primary one for brevity’s sake.
The recordings reveal that, despite the repeated objections of the Village President, relying on his years of experience as Roads and Bridges Chair service, and the Village Engineer, whose expertise we pay for, Laura Ekstrom, current Roads Chair, is recommending the entire length of Oak Knoll Road be resurfaced this year. It’s no secret that Ekstrom happens to live on Oak Knoll Road.
Oak Knoll Road has undergone patching since it was last resurfaced. To the casual observer, this work resulted on a sound road surface with significant useful life remaining.
However, it’s Ekstrom’s contention, likely influenced by neighborhood friends, that Oak Knoll Road suffers, “aesthetically.” Admittedly, the road surface colors won’t pass a color pallet comparison. However, we’ve driven Oak Knoll frequently after Ekstrom’s testimony, and resurfacing Oak Knoll Road prematurely this year would be a waste of taxpayer’s heard earned money.
Furthermore, given her position in Village Government, we find it unethical and egocentric for Ekstrom to even consider a proposal that clearly benefits her.
Village Board of Trustees meets tomorrow evening
Posted in Agendas, Audio Recordings, BACOG, Board of Elections, BOHICA, Building Department, Clown Car, Conflict of interest, Deception, ePacket Agendas, Ethics, Finance Committee, Financial Reports, FUBAR, Insurance Committee, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Mad Cows, OMA, Police Pension Board, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, Roads and Bridges, TMI, Transparency, VBHPD, Village Attorney, Village Board, Village Clerk, Village Director of Administration, Village Engineer, Village President on February 26, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Our Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting tomorrow beginning at 6:30 PM. Some of the topics on their agenda include:
- Village of Barrington Hills Annual Appropriation Ordinance for the Fiscal Year Beginning January 1, 2023, and Ending December 31, 2023. 2.5. Ord – 2023 Approriation.pdf
- [Vote] Village of Barrington Hills Annual Appropriation Ordinance for the Fiscal Year Beginning January 1, 2023, and Ending December 31, 2023 Ordinance 23 –
- [Vote] Ordinance to Internally Commit Road & Bridge Fund Reserves to Bridge Restoration Ordinance 23 –
- [Vote] A Resolution Approving A McHenry County Crimes Against Children Task force Agreement with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office Resolution 23 –
- [Vote] A Resolution Approving a Memorandum of Understanding Between the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and the Village of Barrington Hills Resolution 23 –
- [Vote] Resolution Authorizing Execution of the 2023-2026 Collective Bargaining Agreement Between the Village of Barrington Hills and the Metropolitan Alliance of Police Barrington Hills Police Union #576 Resolution 23 –
A copy of the agenda can be viewed and downloaded here.
Editorial note: Since the proposed 2023 Annual Appropriation Ordinance represents a 11.4% increase over the 2022 Appropriation, we’ll be sharing our thoughts on the largest contributor to that increase tomorrow.
“Nightmare on Main Street” not over yet
Posted in FUBAR, IDOT, Road construction, Traffic, Unions on November 18, 2022| Leave a Comment »
“CONSTRUCTION UPDATE November 17, 2022
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.”
Village Board of Trustees meets tonight
Posted in Agendas, Audio Recordings, Big Red, Building Department, Clown Car, Conflict of interest, Deception, Elections, ePacket Agendas, Finance Committee, Financial Reports, FOIA, FUBAR, Legal Expenses, Mac's Property Management, Minutes, Pension Funding, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, Roads and Bridges, Taxes, The New Normal, Transparency, VBHPD, Village Board, Village Engineer, Village Government, Village President, Village Treasurer on November 17, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Our Village Board of Trustees will be conducting their regular monthly meeting beginning this evening at 6:30 PM. A copy of their agenda can be viewed and downloaded here, however residents should take special note of their draft 2023 Budget, particularly as it relates to Roads & Bridges where at least one expense is up over 100%.
By far one of the largest increases is in, “Road Maintenance Contracts.” This year’s budget is $661,000. But the proposed amount next year is $1,059,200. That’s an increase of $398,200.
“Mowing/Cleanup Contracts,” is going from $70,00 this year to more than double that in 2023 at $150,000.
In an effort to understand the underlying reasons for these and other increases, we listened to the recordings of the nearly two (2) hour November 8th Special Meeting of the Roads & Bridges Committee yesterday. What we found revealed largely incoherent rambling (as usual) by the chair. As of this posting, the audio now states, “Unsupported audio,” as seen in this link, unfortunately, but some who heard the recording might consider this a blessing.
Hopefully this evening we’ll learn why such exorbitant roads increases are being proposed, but beforehand we’d like to share some advice with the Roads & Bridges Chair in the form quote from a famous Thanksgiving movie that goes, “…when you’re telling these little stories, here’s a good idea. Have a point. It makes it so much more interesting for the listener!”
Special Election Day Roads & Bridges meeting today
Posted in Agenda, Audio Recordings, Clown Car, Elections, FUBAR, Mac's Property Management, Mad Cows, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Road construction, Roads & Bridges Committee, Traffic, Village Government on November 8, 2022| Leave a Comment »
No, that’s not a typo. It’s not a practical joke either.
Roads & Bridges Chair Laura Ekstrom chose the absolute busiest day of the year at Village Hall to have her own special Roads & Bridges meeting consisting of one (1) agenda item today. And, her special meeting is scheduled at 3 PM, a time when many people vote since they leave their workplaces early.
Turnout for early voting this year has been brisk. The parking lots have frequently been seen nearly full, and yesterday lines were forming to vote, thus increasing frustrations.
Common sense would dictate alternative dates be chosen by Ekstrom, or short of that, a Zoom meeting be scheduled if there was no alternative. Clearly, this escaped her.
A copy of her agenda can be viewed here, and if you find yourselves trying to vote this afternoon but unable to park, we know who you have to thank.
LCDOT officially announces Hart Road reopening
Posted in Barrington High School, County, Lake, Road construction, Taxes on October 25, 2022| Leave a Comment »
“Great News. Hart Road is now OPEN!
Hart Road between Lake Cook Road and US 14 (Northwest Hwy) in Barrington had been closed since June 2 to construct a new bridge.
As part of the project, crews replaced aging triple culvert pipes with a new bridge. A new bike path was added on the bridge’s east side, and Hart Road is currently being resurfaced from south of US 14 to Lake Cook Road.
While the bridge is now open, road paving, pavement striping, and landscape restoration work is still in progress. Daily lane closures will be utilized to complete these remaining items. Crews have scheduled to pave the final pavement surface later in the week and the bridge deck grooving is planned for Saturday, Oct. 29.
We thank everyone for their patience while the road was closed. We also thank the contractor that worked throughout the summer to safely reopen the bridge ahead of schedule.”
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