Kane County delivers wish list for Obama public works plan

Kane County has passed along its wish list of capital projects in need of some federal funding if President-elect Barack Obama follows through on his talk of a public works program to create jobs and stimulate the economy.

There are no announced criteria for Obama's program, nor is there any locked-in budget to make the program function. Those details won't be known until at least early January. But that hasn't stopped Kane County from trying to get an early jump on funding that may be available for a few projects already in the works with local funding.

County officials recently passed their wish list along to Congressman Bill Foster in hopes of getting included in Obama's plan, which is already being compared to Franklin Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression.

Heading the wish list in Kane County is the Stearns Road Bridge Corridor near Wayne that would create another bridge over the Fox River to reduce east/west traffic in the region. The county is still in the engineering and land acquisition phase of the project, which is creeping along while waiting for $27.5 million from the state that may or may not ever show up.

Also on the list is the widening of Orchard Road, south of Jericho Road to Route 30 in the southern end of the county, into four lanes. The project could be expanded if some federal funding comes through. The plan is being labeled "shovel ready," meaning construction could begin almost immediately.

The long-awaited full interchange at I-90 and Route 47 in Huntley is also on the list. It would provide full access to and from the east and west on I-90. The project is the top interchange priority for both Kane and McHenry counties. Local officials, particularly in Huntley, view the project as having the potential to drive redevelopment and commercial growth throughout the area.

Other plans could be added to the list once the criteria for Obama's plan are revealed. Kane County is already well into renewing its five-year transportation improvement plan, which includes work on more than 50 bridges in the county and a major widening of Randall Road.