Plenty of road projects on tap for Kane County this year
A new year of construction means more transportation improvements in Kane County but a familiar list of priorities for local elected officials. The county has had roughly the same top five transportation projects on its priority list for several years now. Here’s how each of them is progressing:
1. Stearns Road corridor
The corridor, including the newly-opened bridge over the Fox River, is the largest infrastructure project in the county’s history. The main portions of the project are complete. However, thanks to lower than expected costs, the county still has $31 million to spend on the project that can’t be spent elsewhere. Deputy Transportation Director Tom Rickert said that cash will pay for the landscaping of the corridor, the construction of the Umdenstock Bridge, creation of the McLean Road Fen, and widening Route 25 to four lanes. “Route 25 is a critical link in the middle of the corridor,” Rickert said.
The county is acquiring land for the widening. Officials expect construction to begin in 2013.
2. Anderson Road
Construction will create a connection between Route 38 and Keslinger Road, with a traffic crossing over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks as well as better access into the Elburn Metra station. Rickert said the county will start buying the necessary land next month with the cooperation of the Shodeen Development Corp.
“We’ve been coordinating with them pretty significantly,” Rickert said. “A lot of the acquisition is through a Shodeen parcel, which is currently under a development proposal. Without their cooperation, it’s going to be difficult to proceed forward with this project in a timely manner.”
Rickert expects construction to begin next year.
3. Longmeadow Parkway
The parkway is a 5.6-mile corridor primarily impacting Huntley, Algonquin and Carpentersville. The $117 million project already has federal approval, but the sticking point has always been the inclusion of a toll bridge to fund the project. Initial engineering is still at least six months away from completion, Rickert said.
“Depending on where we are after that, we’ll take one last financial evaluation regarding the toll bridge option so the county board can take that final step of kicking that project into gear.”
4. I-90 at Rt. 47 interchange
County officials consider this project particularly important because of the 11,000 jobs officials expect it to create. “That’s very critical to the county,” Rickert said.
The $66 million project will only cost the county $6.2 million. Rickert said initial engineering and land acquisition is under way.
5. Orchard Road widening
Commuters traveling along Orchard Road during rush hour already know the problems it has. More than 30,000 cars travel the two-lane road each day.
“It’s a parking lot for part of the day,” Rickert said.
The county wants to widen Orchard Road to four lanes at a cost of $17.7 million. Rickert said the county is ready to start acquiring the necessary land for the widening. He expects construction to begin on the project this year and finish next year.