Algonquin considers Randall Road pedestrian underpass near Jacobs High School

After plans for a pedestrian bridge fell through years ago, Algonquin is considering constructing an underpass beneath Randall Road that would link to nearby bike trails and provide a safe path for crossing the busy corridor.

The proposed underpass would be part of a roughly 4,000-foot multiuse path connecting to Harry D. Jacobs High School and Bunker Hill Drive on the west and Stonegate Road on the east, according to village documents. The path would run beneath Randall Road about 800 feet south of the Bunker Hill Drive/Huntington Drive intersection.

The village board voted Tuesday to approve spending $204,258 on a Phase 1 engineering study conducted by Christopher Burke Engineering.

The purpose of the project is to make the area safer and more pedestrian-friendly, Assistant Village Manager Mike Kumbera said, pointing to foot traffic from the high school and surrounding residences.

The path and underpass would also link a network of existing trails, he said, allowing bikers to easily get from one end of Algonquin to the other.

“We're joining the east and west sides of Randall Road, so there's a lot more connectivity,” Kumbera said. “This will really be a biking and recreational enhancement.”

The village had discussed creating a Randall Road pedestrian crossing since completing a feasibility study in 2009, Kumbera said, at which point officials began planning a pedestrian bridge over the road at Bunker Hill Drive/Huntington Drive.

Village officials chose a conceptual design for the bridge in 2012, Kumbera said, and Algonquin even received a roughly $2.3 million federal grant that would have covered 80 percent of the cost. Algonquin and McHenry County planned to split the remaining amount.

But that came to a halt soon after because of extensive utility infrastructure at that intersection, Kumbera said.

The new proposal for an underpass, he said, is now expected to tie into an entirely separate McHenry County project: The widening and reconstruction of Randall Road from Harnish Drive to Polaris Drive. By coordinating the two projects, he said, construction work, road closures and traffic schedules would be in sync.

Algonquin officials found other perks to having an underpass rather than a bridge, Kumbera said, such as no snow removal and lower long-term maintenance costs due to minimal exposure to harsh weather.

“This is an old project with a new spin and a new location,” he said.

Because the scope of the project has changed, Algonquin must reapply for the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement grant, Kumbera said. Details about the project's overall cost, funding strategies and design are also expected to come to light throughout the first engineering phase, he said.