After years of delays, Algonquin and New Wilke corner fix gets green light this summer

Some two decades in the making, a $4.5 million intersection upgrade aimed at easing congestion on the Arlington Heights-Rolling Meadows border is expected to begin in earnest this summer.

Preliminary work has already started at the busy corner of Algonquin and New Wilke roads, where crews have been relocating utility lines underground before digging can begin for two new right-turn lanes, among other improvements.

Arlington Heights village board members Monday night approved their end of an intergovernmental cost share agreement with counterparts in Rolling Meadows that will have each town splitting about $1 million in local costs for construction and related engineering. Council members in Rolling Meadows, which is serving as the lead local agency on the project, inked the deal in February.

The federal Surface Transportation Program is paying most of the costs — $3.5 million — under an 80/20 federal-local split.

The intersection fix has long been on the to-do list at Rolling Meadows city hall, especially after two other nearby intersections — Golf and New Wilke roads, and Golf and Algonquin roads — were widened and reconstructed over the past decade.

After years of delays amid the late 2000s recession and subsequent difficulties obtaining grants, initial design planning kicked off at the onset of the pandemic in 2020.

Then officials made offers and negotiated sales with owners of five properties needed for the new turn lanes. Costs for rights of way increased substantially, officials said, but they were able to lobby for a 80/20 federal-local split though land acquisition costs are usually 50/50.

The right-turn lanes will be on both westbound and eastbound Algonquin, which officials believe could help reduce the long lines of cars during the morning and afternoon rush hours. Other changes include extension of an existing 8-foot-wide path south along New Wilke, replacing traffic signals, adding pedestrian countdown timers, and lining existing Rolling Meadows water mains.

The Illinois Department of Transportation let the project last year and awarded the contract to Marengo-based Schroeder Asphalt Services. But then issues moving the overhead power lines underground by ComEd stalled the project further, and winter set in.

ComEd is almost done, and other utility and communication companies are now moving their infrastructure so old poles can be removed. Work continues with lighting relocation, which includes running conduit, setting foundations, and preparing for temporary traffic signals, according to Rolling Meadows Public Works Director Aaron Grosskopf.

Then the contractor can begin excavation and removals for the widening necessary for the new turn lanes, Grosskopf said.

Once that begins, daily lane closures from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. are anticipated, though no permanent closures or detours are expected during construction, he added.

Substantial completion is planned for late 2026, with some signal work to be completed in early 2027.