Randall Road public hearing draws 200
Many among the more than 200 people who attended a public hearing hosted by the McHenry County Division of Transportation on Tuesday evening said its best feature was a video simulation of how a continuous-flow intersection works.
The county's proposed plan for the 3½-mile stretch of Randall Road from Ackman Road to County Line Road includes a two-leg CFI at Randall and Algonquin roads. In a CFI, there is an extra light and crossover lane to make a left turn.
If nothing is done, by 2030 it will take 30 minutes to drive that stretch, MCDOT design manager Wally Dittrich said. With a dual left-turn lane intersection, it would take 26 minutes; with a CFI, the trip would take just eight minutes, he said.
Algonquin resident Ken Rhoden says something needs to be done to manage traffic at that intersection, but believes the proposed plan might deter him from patronizing some businesses as often as he does now. “It might not be worth the extra time and driving,” he said.
That's exactly what the village of Lake in the Hills fears. The village board formally stated its opposition to the proposed plan, which closes some entry points along Randall Road and diverts traffic behind the businesses.
However, Lake in the Hills Trustee Ray Bogdanowski said that he realized from looking at the county's drawings that access to businesses would be negatively affected even if just an extra left-turn lane — rather than a CFI — is added. “Our concern is our bread and butter, our commercial area. They want to move traffic along,” he said.
Business owner Maria Ammon, who owns Kids 2nd Wardrobe in Lake in the Hills, said she's most worried about how construction will affect her business. “I think it's a good idea for traffic, but what happens during construction?” she said.
Some especially liked individual features of the proposed plan, like a traffic light at Miller Road. “Making a left from Randall on Miller is impossible, it's always backed up,” Lake in the Hills resident George Swanson said. “I avoid Randall Road at all costs, but maybe this way things will be smoother.”
A continuous green-T signal at Village Road — rather than the closure of that intersection — alleviated his concerns about increased traffic along Carlemont Drive, said David Yaeger, of Crystal Lake, vice president of the Randall Village Condo Association.
The proposed plan calls for the demolition of two businesses at Randall and Algonquin roads: the Phillips 66 gas station on the southwest corner, and the Bank of America building on the northeast corner. Also, an empty business and part of the Learning Express Toys near Jewel-Osco would have to be torn down to make way for a thruway, Dittrich said.
“I think it's a good plan,” McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler said. “There is a fear that businesses will suffer, but businesses will suffer if nothing is done, or even if we build dual left-turn lanes.”
State Rep. Mike Tryon pointed out that reports show decreased accident rates after CFIs are built. “CFIs are not something that we are familiar with in Illinois ... but we need a 20-year solution, not a five-year solution,” he said. The public hearing materials will be online sometime this week, officials said. Comments can be submitted through Feb. 23. MCDOT will then present its final proposed plan to the McHenry County Board's transportation committee.