Huntley readying for interchange project

While plans to complete an I-90 interchange at Route 47 in Huntley are moving forward, officials are still trying to tie up some loose ends.

Village leaders are working on a deal to make a local landowner whole again.

The Illinois Toll Highway Authority is responsible for securing land for the interchange project that will create an eastbound ramp from I-90 onto Route 47, as well as a ramp that lets Route 47 drivers take the tollway west. The tollway also is in negotiations to secure land from Horizon Group Properties, which owns the Huntley Auto Mall and Huntley Corporate Park.

The village has stepped in to try to grant relief for building and parking setbacks for Horizon, Village Manager Dave Johnson said.

For example, if the village requires a 50-foot setback for the auto mall and the tollway takes that land for construction, the village may help Horizon by lowering setback requirements to 25 feet at Route 47 and another 25 feet of relief on Auto Mall Drive.

Last week, village officials held off on approving an agreement between the two parties because negotiations are still ongoing between Horizon and the tollway. Because the other parts of the interchange are in places where the village already had annexed property, there was no need to deal with the setback issue for anyone else, Johnson said.

This marks one of the last things Huntley needs to do on its end of the mammoth $69 million interchange project.

Construction bids for the project will be released Tuesday and move to the village board, then the tollway board, for approval.

Huntley officials are banking on the project to help spur economic development and create hundreds of new jobs in the village from development officials expect to see in the business park.

“It’s only half of an interchange right now,” Johnson said. “Now, you’ll be able to stop and shop in Huntley.”

The project was developed in accordance with a tollway policy that requires local communities to cover half of the cost, tollway spokeswoman Joelle McGinnis said.

That means the Illinois Department of Transportation will contribute approximately 25 percent and the remainder will be funded by Huntley, Kane County and McHenry County.

Huntley also paid the $2.5 million cost of preliminary design and engineering studies, as required by the tollway.

“After seven years of engineering ... we handed the baton to the tollway highway authority and they are responsible for construction and land acquisition of the project,” Johnson said.

Throughout the project, officials will stay in touch with residents and businesses about traffic issues and major work. They encourage interested parties to visit huntleyfirst.com/i90update.cfm for the latest on the project.

The existing portion of the interchange will remain open during construction, which is expected to start in late May and end in 2013; the exact date isn’t known because the construction contracts haven’t been awarded, McGinnis said.

The tollway has not planned any detours for the project.

Interchange: No detours planned during construction