Kane County on tap for $7.5 million

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning has proposed funding $7.5 million in projects within Kane County next year to alleviate road congestion and improve air quality, officials said Monday.

The biggest-ticket items are construction of a $3.4 million bike route in Elgin's southwest quadrant. Also proposed is $2 million in intersection improvements at Huntley and Galligan roads in Rutland Township and another $2 million in traffic signal work on Route 31 and Wilson Street in Batavia.

Altogether, the planning agency is recommending partial funding of $11.5 million in Kane County projects through its Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program in fiscal 2009. Under the proposal, up for final consideration later this year, the agency's share of the funding would be about $7.5 million, or 65 percent of the total cost.

"There's some good projects in there, both for Kane County as well as neighboring municipalities," said Tom Rickert, Kane County's deputy director of transportation.

Other recommended projects include a bike and pedestrian path along Wilmette Avenue in Carpentersville as well as traffic signal improvements on Route 64, from Dean to Main streets, in St. Charles and on Kimball and National streets in Elgin.