As you can see from the photos below, supplied by a Friend of McHenry County Blog, lots of people attended the public meeting held by the Illinois Department of Transportation about its proposal to build a roundabout at the intersection of Harmony Road and Route 20.
Donley’s Banquet Hall was crowded as State Rep. Jack Franks took the podium.
One reader wrote,
“Roughly 200 people in attendance and most were not feeling favorably toward the prospects of not just one, but two roundabouts on Rte 20 within close proximity of each other.
“Concerns included the prospects of 18-wheelers slowing down from 55 MPH to 15 MPH IN ORDER to negotiate the turns, to the costs to do a roundabout vs. A simple traffic light, and concerns about fire & rescue vehicles as well as farm equipment being able to maneuver through since they’re oversized.
“Also, comments were made to the effect that the decision to build the roundabouts has already been made by IDOT , so glad they don’t bother to get our input prior to their decision-making.”
There was a panel to explain the proposal and answer questions.
The panel is seen here.
Here’s a close-up of one of the illustrations:
The roundabout.
Here’s the justification for putting a roundabout at Harmony Road and Route 20:
Here’s IDOT’s argument for installing a roundabout at Harmony Road and Route 20.
Here is a comparison of the footprints of the two alternatives:
A comparison of the land that would need to be taken for both a regular and a roundabout intersection improvement.
If you attended, please share what went on in the comment section.
So that memo Franks sent you; Does that count for anything?
How about the Zinke one.
Oh wait, you never posted that.
Wonder why?
I wasn’t there as I am in Mississippi on company business.
However, I can tell you that if the first challenge of this state is its weight, the second has to be roundabouts.
Our hotel is three miles from where we are auditing.
On a daily basis we nearly get tagged going through there.
And that is with a lifer driving us Yankees around.
Hate them more than ever.
I got there just as the public comment section was beginning, about 5 pm.
There was a lot of negativity on the proposed changes to the intersection, mostly from people who have lived and worked in the area for many years.
These residents want changes to this dangerous intersection which will save lives and reduce the carnage of the many accidents which happen there.
But when a group of highly skilled professionals who have spent years studying and practicing highway design safety propose a configuration which the residents don’t know about, or understand, the residents suspect a conspiracy between the Tollway Authority and IDOT.
A local historian went so far as to say that Route 20 is an historical road, and the roundabout idea doesn’t fit within the historical context of the highway.
I spent 2 weeks in Colorado this summer, and saw modern roundabouts everywhere I went.
From the Denver suburbs to Boulder and West to Eagle, off route 70, dozens of stoplight-controlled intersections have been replaced with intersections roundabouts in every community we visited.
City folks and rural mountain communities have adapted their driving habits to this safe and environmentally friendly type of intersection traffic control.
Driving there suggests a culture of cooperation with, and respect for other drivers and the communities and neighborhoods they drive through.
I’d like to think McHenry County can learn a thing or two from Colorado.
Like getting smoothly through the intersection in a thunderstorm, when the power has failed.
It’s all about learning a new skill, and adapting to change, something we all can get better at.
Nick Chirikos the DemocrRAT
What’s he thinking?
Wants everyone to believe Roundabouts are good for the county.
Makes a mockery of a historian’s comments.
And he is a volunteer on the county historic preservation commission.
What’s with this guy?…What a loser….
By the way this idiot
Wants to chop down vegetation around ComEd poles, thinks Chainsaw Jack Franks ComEd plan is wonderful for the state.
Was Tryon There?
Dorothy Otis is a colleague and well-respected member of the Marengo preservation community.
My comment was not meant to mock her.
I disagree with her idea that a roundabout shouldn’t be built because it would diminish the historical value of the road.
Almost all roads in McHenry County have some historical significance.
This doesn’t negate the need for keeping our roads as technologically efficient as possible, to keep traffic flowing smoothly and accidents to a minimum.
What a phony…..
If IDOT builds them, they should be renamed IDIOT.
Take a drive through Wolf Road and Golf Road roundabout… it’s kamikaze corner!
Wolf Road and Golf Road is not a roundabout – its a traffic circle – big difference!
Nick C. is spot on.
As a traffic engineering professional, I can tell you that roundabouts have been studied to death – they do save lives and that’s what its all about at the end of the day.
Go into Lake county, or Wisconsin- there are several roundabouts- whether a motorcycle or towing a trailer, they are easier to navigate.
There is a fear of the unknown and I am sensitive to the fact that people are uneasy- but even County Board member Pete Merkel, (R- McHenry) agrees they are a solution to congestion and dangerous intersections.
They have been used back east for years. You can not find data that says they are more dangerous.
I was at the meeting and thought IDOT did a great job at communicating the benefits of a roundabout at this location.
It costs about the same or less than a signal, takes less of our land, and it’s safer than a signal…so why would we not choose this out of common sense and put fear and ignorance behind us.
I’m sick and tired of sitting idle in front of them darn signals with no traffic on the road with the green light just because one car was there or having a stop and go signal when the power goes out…which here in McHenry happens more times than not.
I did not expect the meeting to be a popularity contest between roundabouts and traffic signals.
I did not expect a couple people in the audience to shout and interrupt everyone else and repeat themselves, repeatedly.
Where was the moderator?
Now to find out that whoever made the most noise decides the policy is dreadful.
This is a dangerous corner.
Roundabouts make it not a corner and not dangerous.
Truly, in this situation, if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.
Putting this project on hold means 2 more winters of the same risk.
et’s put it back on fast-track.
Put in the roundabout and move on.