Cook County unveils plans for Quentin Road revamp at public hearing in Palatine

Cook County officials unveiled planned improvements to Quentin Road between Dundee Road and Lake-Cook Road Thursday night at the Cotillion Banquets in Palatine.

The centerpiece of the public hearing was the unveiling of what officials called the preferred alternative.

It calls for Quentin Road to have one 11-foot-wide travel lane in each direction with the addition of a 10-foot center turn lane that will safeguard left turns and provide a dedicated lane for emergency vehicles.

In addition, a shared use path on the east side of Quentin Road will be built for pedestrians and bicyclists.

“We want to make sure that we can improve safety for all users,” Jennifer “Sis” Killen, superintendent of the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways, said.

Improvements will also include a new traffic signal at Ruhl Road at the entrance to the Dunhaven Woods subdivision.

A pedestrian refuge island will be added at the Camp Reinberg entrance for safety, and new right turn lanes will be added at Ruhl Road and the Camp Reinberg entrances.

The Quentin Road bridge over Salt Creek will be reconstructed.

Construction could begin as early as 2029 and end by 2030.

A spirited public comment session following the county’s presentation showed both support and opposition.

Some residents of the Dunhaven Woods subdivision, the largest one in the area with 140 homes, said residents there would have preferred a rejected option that called for two travel lanes in each direction with separate turn lanes provided at specific locations.

But Pete Jackson, an environmentalist affiliated with the Deer Grove Natural Area Volunteers, praised the preferred alternative.

“The last thing I want to see is more pavement in that Quentin Road corridor. But we realized early on that compromise was the best way to serve all needs and preferences,” he said.

Pamela Wilkinson, president of the Forest Glen Community Association, which contains homes near Quentin Road and Misty Drive, raised concerns about the shared use path. She said it is the closest community to Quentin Road. She objected to the building of a bicycle path in front of their townhouse, adding the county should look at putting it on the west side of the road.

“We feel totally ignored,” she said. “We’re not large like Dunhaven. We deserve to have a voice like everybody else.”