Huntley's Route 47 interchange moves ahead

Although they are waiting on state funding, Huntley and the two counties where the village is located are moving forward with plans for a full interchange at Route 47 and Interstate 90.

Currently, drivers can get on and off Route 47 from the east but not from the west, and the agreement approved Thursday will start work on upgrading the interchange so drivers can get on and off Route 47 from both directions.

The Huntley village board approved an agreement for the design of the interchange that would split the cost of the work equally between Huntley and Kane and McHenry counties.

Under the agreement, the village and the counties will each pay $600,000 to begin designing the full interchange.

"This has been 11 years-plus in the making," Village Manager Carl Tomaso said.

The agreement, which Tomaso called a "unique funding model," is still contingent upon the village receiving a letter from the Illinois Department of Transportation stating only state funds will be used to construct the full interchange.

Using only state funds will speed up the timeline for constructing the interchange because of the litany of federal standards that would have to be met if federal money were used, Tomaso said.

The full interchange will cost an estimated $66.7 million to build in 2010 dollars, Tomaso said.

The project is fully funded in the state's capital bill, but passage of the bill has stalled because state legislators and the governor have been unable to agree on a funding mechanism.

Under the agreement approved Thursday, Graef, Anhalt, Schloemer and Associates will study the issues arising from building a full interchange at Route 47 and Interstate 90.

Huntley will pay the contractor the full cost of designing the interchange, and the counties will reimburse the village for the portion they owe.

The first phase of the engineering work will take about six months, according to the village. The village estimates the first two phases will cost $2.6 million.