On the way back from the Rockford hearing for former McHenry County Sheriff’s Deputy Greg Pyle I decided to see if the new Huntley entrance from the West was open.
With all the construction, on that part of the Northwest Tollway, I was not about to pay to drive no faster than I could on Route 20, so I took it to Marengo.
Then, I detoured south on Route 23 to get pictures of the intersection that Marengo wants to turn into a cash cow once it gets Tollway access.
The sign for the toll booth in McHenry County is attached to the Route 23 overpass.
It was the first time I had been in that part of Riley Township south of the Tollway short of driving on Route 23.
I saw Coon Creek and got some photos of the overpass.
Coon Creek south of the Tollway in Riley Township.
Then I took Harmony Road back to Route 20 and drove onto the Tollway the way that House Speaker Mike Madigan drives home from his Lake Geneva home.
The first sign of the new entrance indicated it was four miles away.
Four miles to the Huntley exit from the Tollway.
The second said, “Huntley, Woodstock 2 Miles.”
Two miles to the Route 47 exist.
Then there was a sign saying a “Crash Investigation Site” was a half-mile on up.
One of the periodic places to pull over if one has an accident is west of the new interchange.
Getting closer, a sign said, “I-PASS ONLY, CASH NOT ACCEPTED, Illinois 47, Huntley Woodstock, 1 MILE.”
Only one more mile.
A half a mile away was the same sign saying the exit was coming up in “1/2 MILE.”
One-half mile until one can get off the Tollway south of Huntley.
“Factory Shops Blvd. NEXT RIGHT” said the sign as the Tollway starred to curve to reach the exit.
The name of the road, Factory Shops Blvd., points to the extra sales tax that Huntley hopes to get from eastbound motorists.
Just beyond it was one saying, “ILLINOIS ROUTE 47 INTERCHANGE, OPENING SOON, ALL ELECTRONIC, FULL ACCESS INTERCHANGE.”
Then there was a sign which read, “PAY TOLL THIS EXIT, I-PASS ONLY, CASH NOT ACCEPTED.”
No cash accepted. And an I-PASS only costs $50 at Jewel.
And there was the exit lane with a sign next to it saying, “RANDALL ROAD 6 MILES.”
The Huntley exit ramp was blocked, but the Tollway helpfully announced that Randall Road was only six miles away.
The exit sign above the road announced this was “EXIT 46” at Route 47, repeating that no cash would be accepted, that only electronic payment though I-PASS was acceptable.
But I couldn’t get off the highway. It was blocked.
The official opening ceremony was scheduled for 1 PM.
As I drove off toward the Randall Road exit six miles away, I saw a “RAMP CLOSED” sign on a barricade.
About eleven in the morning, the Huntley exist was blocked.
Oh, well.
And it only cost was an 88% increase in tolls, which no public official in McHenry County publicly opposed.