New Park and Ride lot planned for McHenry Co.

Car pooling into the office sounds great, in theory.

But who really wants to leave home early to pick up co-workers at their residences or get home late after dropping them off?

McHenry County and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning hope to soon make that a moot issue for a large chunk of the county's population with the construction of a Park and Ride lot at Route 31 and Virginia Road.

The proposed lot, in proximity to the borders of Algonquin, Cary, Crystal Lake and Lake in the Hills, initially would serve as a meeting place for car poolers in the area.

Eventually, county officials hope, Metra riders will be able to park in the lot and take a shuttle to train stations in downtown Crystal Lake or Cary, and Pace bus riders may be able to catch a ride at the lot.

A resolution backing the proposal won approval this week from the McHenry County Board's transportation committee.

"We're hoping that it will help reduce some of the traffic on our highways," committee Chairman Anna May Miller said.

The project will be funded entirely through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality improvement program, a federal effort to reduce air pollution by reducing the number of cars on the road.

The Virginia Road site was chosen for the lot because it scored high in an analysis weighing the costs of the lot against the amount carbon dioxide and other pollutants it would reduce, said Holly Ostdick, an associate planner with the program.

Wally Dittrich, design manager for the McHenry County Division of Transportation, said he expects the 130- to 140-space lot to be in place by late 2011 or early 2012, as construction of the Algonquin bypass and widening of Route 31 south of Virginia are underway or nearing completion.