Algonquin spending $1.2M on Highland Avenue construction

Algonquin is moving forward with a plan to entirely reconstruct a section of Highland Avenue, a well-traveled roadway that Public Works Director Bob Mitchard says is beyond basic repair.

"The road should've been repaired years ago," Mitchard said. "It's in a condition now where we can't patch it and, through our maintenance, hold it together any longer."

Trustees this week agreed to spend about $1.2 million on construction costs to improve the 0.88-mile stretch of road. The village also received $1.5 million in federal Surface Transportation Program funds for the project.

Several years ago, the village approved a Prairie Path subdivision project, which would add 70 residential homes to a neighborhood north of Highland Avenue and east of Presidential Park, Mitchard said. As part of the project, the Highland Avenue roadway was also supposed to be rebuilt.

That project, however, was put on the back burner, Mitchard said, which also deferred the roadway repair.

"With the amount of traffic it experiences, we just have to go ahead and rebuild it," he said.

Now a separate project, Highland Avenue will be reconstructed from Tanglewood Drive to Haegers Bend Road. In Algonquin's jurisdiction, the high-traffic road is getting new pavement, storm drains, gutters, some natural detention, curbing and striping, Mitchard said.

Additionally, he said, a bike path will be added along the side of the road, merging with a section of a Presidential Park bike path that will also be replaced.

At the far east side of the designated project area, Highland Avenue turns into Spring Creek Road, which is Barrington Hills' jurisdiction, Mitchard said. That section will get new pavement with stone shoulders, he said.

During a special meeting this week, the Algonquin village board approved an agreement with Barrington Hills, designating Algonquin as the lead agency of the project. Barrington Hills will reimburse Algonquin about $58,830 for its portion of the roadway, Mitchard said.

Construction is expected to begin in May, Mitchard said. If all goes well, the project will be completed by November.