Lighting project causes congestion on Algonquin Road

A construction project that has been backing up traffic on Algonquin Road at intersections between Route 53 and Arlington Heights Road will be finished in the next week or two, Illinois Department of Transportation officials said.

Crews are installing a new street lighting system along that stretch of road, said Jim Kukla, local area construction engineer for IDOT. He said the new lights will have better timers and bring stronger, brighter lights.

The $1.8 million project includes a complete lighting system with new foundations, poles, luminaries and light controls, and is one of the last uses of federal stimulus dollars still ongoing in the suburbs, he added.

Kukla said that so far, the project is coming in under budget at about $1.6 million.

The project hits Algonquin Road at the Golf, New Wilke and Arlington Heights Road intersections and brings traffic down to one lane at times, depending where crews are working.

Although it is federal money, the city of Rolling Meadows and village of Arlington Heights teamed up to bring in contractor H&H Electric to do the work, Kukla said.

Road work is expected to be completed in another week or two, but crews will return to the area in the fall to restore some of the grass and landscaping around the areas that were disturbed by removing and replacing light poles and other structures, Kukla said.