There is a hearing Thursday from 4-7 at the Barrington Park District, 235 Lions Drive, to consider the widening of Route 62 from Route 25 to Route 68, that is, through Barrington Hills.
A Barrington Hills group has sent out a notice, but before posting it, let me share my comment. (You can make comments here.)
Comments from Cal Skinner
Whatever is done, curbs should not be a part of the plan.
Consider the reduction of the speed limit from 55 to 45-MPH on Route 62 from the Barrington Hills Village Hall to Barrington Road once Route 62 was widened.
And the similar speed limit reduction on Route 14 from Crystal Lake to Woodstock.
The Chairman of the McHenry County Board Transportation Committee, Joe Gottemoller, told me that the speed reduction was because of the curbs that were installed, that if vehicles hit the curb they might flip over.
Not a problem if no curbes.
Compare the 45-MPH speed limit on those two recently widened roads with that on Route 72 west of Barrington Road into East Dundee.
That speed llimit is 55 MPH.
I assume that its having no curbs is the reason the 55-MPH speed limit is allowed.
I urge state officials not to spend millions of dollars on widening Route 62 through Barrington Hills just to slow down traffic.
The goal should be to increase traffic flow, not slow it down.
Email received
IDOT is conducting a public information meeting on Thursday November 9 – 4 pm to 7pm
Barrington Park District 235 Lions Drive
The topic is the widening of IL 62 from 25 to 68.
IDOT will “introduce the project, solicit public input, provide information on additional public involvement opportunities.”
Please note: The official public meeting record will include comments heard in person, mailed, and ones that can be submitted online – linked here.
Also, Next Door has a thread about this. LINKED HERE If you have not joined the Next Door web community, you may want to consider joining it. Unlike Facebook, it is divided up into neighborhoods which keeps the posts local.
From IDOT’s website
IL 62 from IL 25 to IL 68
The Illinois Department of Transportation (Department) has initiated preliminary engineering and environmental studies (Phase I) to identify potential improvements to IL 62 (Algonquin Road) from IL 25 on the west to IL 68 on the east.
The project is located in Barrington Hills in Kane and Cook Counties.
The IL 62 Phase I study is incorporating the principles of Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS), designed to engage all project stakeholders in the development of cost effective transportation facilities.
Click here for more information regarding the IL 62 Study.
Concerns of the sender of the email
As most residents know, the widening of the road is not the issue.
The issue is the stop lights at the intersections of 62/25 and 62/68/59 intersections.
Only so much traffic can travel through our village at once.
Why encourage more traffic that will travel at a high rate of speed and impact our quiet village community in a detrimental way?
Please attend the meeting and/or voice your opinion at the link above.
= = = = =
More information provided at a candidates’ forum in 2016 for legislative candidates:
Curbs means more money for unions!
Why else would idiots at MCDOT/IDOT put in curbs on Route 14.
Utter ridiculousness for Rte 14 to be 45 mph.
How ridiculous is the current speed limit on US 14 between Crystal Lake and Woodstock.
Previously, the very dangerous two-lane road with curves and dips and rises was DEEMED SAFE by IDOT at 50 or 55 MPH.
Today, with a divided 4-lane highway the speed limit is 45 MPH.
If the previous 2-lane US 14 was deemed safe to post at 50 or 55 MPH, then certainly the divided new 4-lane has to be ultra safe at 55 MPH in comparison.
Realistically, I have observed most drivers going over the 45 MPH speed limit.
Why were curbs put in on 14?
Those were not needed and an extra expense.
Curbs are for city streets.
How much less would the project have cost if curbs and bike paths were not installed?
I’m sure Transportation Committee Members or County Board Members from when this project was approved do not know.
Rubber stamp. Rubber stamp
About time
Didn’t I tell you that bike paths were useless?
I would think that the curbs are for improved drainage.
Better traffic flow would trump better drainage to my mind.
Keep Barrington Hills rural! A dirt road for Barrington Hills! Tic, tock, tic, tock…
Randall Road north of Algonquin Road has curbs, very, very heavy traffic and the speed limit is 50 MPH.
Rakow Road has curbs in some parts and the speed limit is 50 MPH.
They are not state roads.
It seems County government is more rational than state government.
We’d prefer our Village not be denigrated by traffic because of poor residential planning by leadership in LITH/Algonquin and Hoffman/South Barrington.
LITH in particular is grossly overdeveloped.
100% opposed to widening 62 in our Village due to incompetence in neighboring villages.
Find another way.
Longmeadow Project is a nightmare and will ruin this area altogether.
If you bought a house along Rt 62 between 25 and 68 you must have noticed that A: Rt 62 is a major artery and B:
That your little stretch of Rt 62 is the only part that is not 4 lanes.
It was only a matter of time before this would happen.
You are naive to think otherwise.
Especially with a natural barrier in the area (the fox river) preventing the flow of traffic east except for a few major roads with bridges.