Schaumburg decides to drop roundabout plan for Springinsguth, Bode roads, for now

Schaumburg officials are taking a pass on building a roundabout at the three-way intersection of Springinsguth and Bode roads during its upcoming improvement, but they are recommending the conversion be part of its next upgrade in 10 to 15 years.

That was the consensus of the village's transportation committee this week.

The proposed roundabout would require land from the neighboring Schaumburg Park District, but talks between the two local governments haven't begun and likely would be deferred until much nearer to the project's onset.

"At this point we wouldn't pursue that until we had a committed plan," said Schaumburg Trustee Brian Bieschke, who chairs the village's transportation committee.

Tony LaFrenere, executive director of the park district, said a schematic of the roundabout showed only a slight bump into a stormwater detention area for Douglas O. Mclemore Park to the west, which didn't look prohibitive to him.

"I don't think we'd have any issue with that," he said.

Village staff members have deemed the intersection appropriate for a roundabout, but money and timing became factors in the decision whether to act on it during its upcoming upgrade.

Officials don't want to risk grant funding already secured to resurface the roadways around the signal-controlled intersection.

Resurfacing and related improvements at the intersection now would cost $880,000, a quarter of which the village will fund. The estimated cost of a roundabout is $1.2 million, but federal funding would not be guaranteed.

Furthermore, the full design of a roundabout could take two to three years, Schaumburg Transportation Director Karyn Robles said.

The village will continue to evaluate whether other intersections are appropriate for roundabouts, Robles said.

Schaumburg has completed two roundabouts on Plum Grove Road in recent years, one at the intersection of Remington Road and the other at State Parkway.

"The two we have work very well," Bieschke said.

The village has also completed the design for a third at the intersection of American Lane and National Parkway, which is awaiting funding.