McHenry County Legislative Road Show Talks Transportation

Randy Tartol of Lake-in-the-Hills asked for an update on the road situation.

After the charged exchange on illegal immigrants possibly being included in Governor Rod Blagojevich’s All Kids health care expansion program, State Rep. Mike Tryon and State Sen. Pam Althoff would more than willing to comply.

“Illinois receives more money—33% more than ever before (from the federal government),” Sen. Althoff reported. “We can match many of those programs. The question is, ‘Will we?’ because we keep sweeping those dollars away.”

Althoff was referring to the Blagojevich-led raiding of the state road fund in order to finance services traditionally paid for by the state’s general fund.

“Is any of that money coming up this way?” Tartol continued.

Tryon pointed to $32 million for the following projects:

  • Route 47 in Huntley
  • Algonquin Road
  • Western By-pass in Algonquin
  • Rakow Road
  • Pingree Road and
  • Train Stations in Woodstock and Johnsburg

“The problem is that we have to spend the money in five years,” Tryon added.

Another problem Tryon mentioned are what he calls “diversions.” Engineer Gary Overbay enumerated many, observing that of the $1.8 billion collect in Motor Fuel Taxes, only $375 was available for state road projects.

“It was $875 million five years ago,” Tryon added. (That was because Governor George Ryan’s Illinois F.I.R.S.T. 25 year bonding program had not yet been depleted.)

Tryon praised Congressman Don Manzullo for his efforts to get money to improve Route 47.

Commenting on the Western By-pass of the intersection of Routes 31 and 62, Tryon relayed finding out that the project was delayed for nine months because an employee overseeing the project’s environmental study retired and was not replaced.

Overbay, whose firm is overseeing the project said that Indiana Hoosier bats were being studied.

“They’ve never been here, but might want to come here on vacation,” he observed, revealing that the search cost $200,000.

One Lake-in-the-Hills woman wanted to know why overpasses or underpasses were not built “so that kids can go safely across Randall Road.”

Overbay, who is also the road consultant for the Village of Huntley, explained that the bike underpass at Route 14 and Main Street in Crystal Lake cost $14 million.

“The problem is there are so many urgent traffic needs,” he continued.

Senator Althoff pointed out that only one new road—Rakow Road–has been built in McHenry County since 1926.

Tryon’s legislative assistant and McHenry County Board member Tina Hill wondered, “Why can’t all these builders pay the roads to four lanes?”

Overbay pointed out that it was a “community by community issue. Huntley did it on Route 47.”

Algonquin Village President observed that his village board had extracted $8 million from developers to widen Randall Road.

Tryon added that Randall Road had been built for 28,000 cars per day, but that it currently has 50,000 daily.

He added that growth is market driven, that McHenry County ranks fourth in the country in owner-occupied housing.

Observing that the last developers have to pay for the sins of the past, he quoted a taxpayer from his first campaign for county board:

You know widening a road to control traffic congestion is like loosening a belt to control obesity.

Tryon suggested that there was more truth in this observation by a T.A.R.G.E.T. member than one might like to believe. He said the acronym stood for “Taxpayers Against Ridiculous Growth and Exorbitant Taxation.”


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