Plan to widen Quentin Road in Palatine needs more input, but resurfacing planned this year

An infamous stretch of Quentin Road in Palatine will be resurfaced this year, but the long-awaited project to rebuild it needs another community meeting and environmental study before moving forward.

Palatine has been asking Cook County for decades to widen the one-mile, two-lane section of Quentin Road between Lake-Cook and Dundee roads. The village council approved a resolution to that effect in January 2020, the third one since 1996.

County Commissioner Scott Britton, who represents the 14th District, attended the village council meeting Monday to answer questions about that and other issues.

The Quentin Road project is estimated to cost $40.5 million. The county has budgeted $37 million for the rebuild project, and $3 million more is expected to come from federal funds, he said.

The latest community meeting and environmental study are expected to be done no later than early 2023, Britton said. That will be followed by a final decision about the configuration of the rebuild. The contracting and funds allocation process is expected to start in 2023, he said.

That stretch of Quentin Road runs through Cook County's Deer Grove Forest Preserve. At least three environmental studies have been done, the last one in 2018. An updated one is needed to ensure the federal government doesn't deem it "stale," Britton said.

Also, the forest preserve has given "a tentative OK" to the project, but it's important to respect its need for assurance there won't be significant damage to the environment, he said.

Meanwhile, the county approved a resurfacing contract for that stretch of Quentin Road last month. While only "a Band-Aid," the work will increase safety for drivers, Britton said.

The road is in poor condition and a safety hazard for drivers, officials agree.

"By far and away, it's our number one complaint (from residents), year after year," Mayor Jim Schwantz said.

"There are way too man rear-enders reported to the sheriff's office," Britton agreed.

The village wants that stretch of Quentin Road widened into a four-lane road with a dedicated turn lane. "That's where we stand for here, as a council," Schwantz said.

Councilman Tim Millar, whose District 1 abuts that stretch of road, said "the vast majority" of residents in his district approved of that.

However, a coalition called Build Quentin Right advocated for rebuilding with two lanes and a middle turn lane.

The final decision will take all viewpoints into consideration, Britton said.

The COVID-19 pandemic delayed things, Britton added, also taking responsibility for his part.

"I know exactly how you can get frustrated with county government sometimes," he said. "I plan to get this done. That's my promise to Palatine."

The village council also asked whether Cook County is planning to address the "pretty bad condition" of Euclid Avenue from Roselle to Quentin Road.

Britton said the project initially was left off the county's five-year plan but will be added to it.

The village council also asked if Cook County planned to spend any of the approximately $1 billion it received through the American Rescue Plan Act on local infrastructure projects.

Britton said the county has allocated about $100 million so far. He said he will fight to have some of the remaining $900 million allocated to projects in the Northwest suburbs.