McHenry Co. OK with new Metra station -- but not paying for road

McHenry County transportation leaders say they are open to a new Metra station in the small town of Ridgefield, so long as taxpayers aren't left on the hook for the road improvements it would make necessary.

The county board's Transportation Committee on Wednesday instructed staff to begin negotiations with the commuter rail service to determine who will pay the costs of upgrades made necessary by the proposed new station, planned for about 17 acres on the west side of Country Club Road, near Crystal Lake and McHenry County College.

The new station, Metra officials say, would add about 335 cars to the surrounding roads at peak hours, creating the need for a left-turn lane on Country Club, as well as intersection upgrades at Country Club's intersections with Hillside Road and Market Street.

Questions remain about how much those upgrades will cost and who will pay for them. For several committee members, the answer to the second question is Metra.

"If Metra doesn't put in a station there, we may be able to go 20 years without these changes," committee member Scott Breeden said. "I don't think just a percentage (of the cost from Metra) is going to be sufficient."

Rick Mack, community affairs manager for Metra, said the agency would pay for the left-turn lane leading into the station, but believes the county should share in the other costs.

"We will pay for our impact," Mack said. "We don't want to pay for anyone else's impact."

County Director of Transportation Joe Korpalski said it is likely the county will fund some of the road work, but how much will need to be negotiated with Metra.

"Metra is going to contribute some dollars," he said. "I think its pretty safe to say it's not going to be 100 percent, but it's not going to be zero, either."

Amid some controversy, Metra last year paid $1.54 million for the 17-acre site partly owned by McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler. The plan has raised opposition from some of the land's neighbors, many of whom have posted signs reading "No Metra" on their property.

The proposed station is part of Metra's plan to upgrade its Union Pacific Northwest Line, which runs from Harvard to Chicago. The plan calls for new stations in Ridgefield, Johnsburg, Prairie Grove and the east side of Woodstock, as well as new rail yards in Johnsburg and Woodstock.

How soon work begins depends on federal funding, Mack said, but the new stations are unlikely to open within five years.