McHenry County Blog

The following email was sent to members of the Fleming Road Alliance, who managed to convince McHenry County Board members to support their position of improving the road within the current footprint:

“Please allow me to thank you for your efforts to preserve our picturesque McHenry County rural roadways.

“Over time, we have lost a great many scenic routes in the name of ‘progress’; what we seem to have gained is a new phenomena called ‘road rage.’

“It would be my hope that those of us who recognize the value of pleasant, rolling country roads can continue to work together to preserve our roads and our lifestyle.

“I had emails from so many residents that I simply could not believe it! Thank you so much for your time and effort.

“Every email had an impact; each was heartfelt and made a point very well.

“Please know that each of these emails had significance – together they mounted to be an overwhelming critique of a segment of government that had stopped listening to us as residents and taxpayers.

“They have no excuse not to listen now – I believe the voices of Fleming and Alden Roads’ residents and friends have been heard loud and clear. This would not have happened if you had not spent the time to get your email out and let your values and opinions be known.

“Congratulations on our success in being heard! I hope you’ll feel free to keep me posted if you see or hear of anything that causes you concern.

“I will continue to watch the development of the new plans to fix Fleming Road and Alden Road – each within it’s current footprint!”

Again, my sincere thanks for your input!

Diane Evertsen

dfevertsen@yahoo.com

With McHenry County government planning major changes on Alden and Fleming Roads, along with other road building, the McHenry County Environmental Defenders is promoting a workshop to teach citizens how to be dangerous. The invitation follows:

You’re invited to this workshop co-hosted by the Environmental Defenders.  Registration information is shown below.  Hope to see you there!

Understanding Transportation Funding and How to Have Effective Environmental Input into the Transportation Planning Process

DATE: Friday, February 18, 2011

TIME: 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

LOCATION: McHenry County College

FEE: $20 (includes lunch)

This workshop is brought to you by:

• The Delta Institute
• Environmental Defenders of McHenry County
• Land Conservancy of McHenry County
• Chicago Wilderness Society

This workshop is sponsored by Lou Marchi Total Recycling Institute.

And, this isn’t an April Fool’s Day story. Rather it is a press release from the McHenry County Transportation Department:

The McHenry County Division of Transportation is proud to announce the 2010 interactive construction map at  mchenrycountydot.org.

This map will allow the public user to see at a glance all of the County construction project locations, as well as more detailed project information on any particular project. This can be done by clicking on the identify (i) icon and then clicking on the highlighted portion of the roadway. If more detailed information is desired, contact information is included for your use. This map was produced through the assistance of the County’s Geographical Information System (GIS) Department.

Construction Projects

Kishwaukee Valley Road Bridge Replacement

This project will replace the bridge originally constructed in 1953 with a two-span prestressed concrete 36-inch deep I-beam bridge, with a poured in-place 8-inch thick concrete deck, spanning 123-feet in length. It includes approach pavement, milling and resurfacing, shoulder widening and guardrail placement.

Kishwaukee Valley Road was closed to thru traffic starting on February 1, 2010 between Hughes Road and Menge Road. Access up to the bridge is maintained for local traffic only. A marked detour is provided using Hughes Road, U.S. Route 14, Dunham Road and Menge Road. (click here for the detour map).

This project is scheduled to be completed approximately June 12, 2010.

Alden Road Bridge Replacement and Roadway Improvements

This project will replace the existing bridge built in 1939, with a 58-foot long by 40-foot wide, single-span poured in-place concrete bridge deck, on seven, 36-inch deep precast prestressed concrete I-beams.

This project also includes complete pavement and drainage feature reconstruction from about 600 feet south of Illinois Route 173 to about 1,800 feet north of Illinois route 173. Driveways and sidewalks within the project limits will be replaced and a new drainage system will be installed throughout. Along with the new pavement, curb & gutter will be provided to improve drainage. Two special Stormwater Treatment Structures will be installed before stormwater enters the creek to protect water quality.

The Project will be built using stage construction (one side at a time) and will require a temporary traffic signal to limit the bridge to one-way traffic for the duration of the project. Two-way traffic will be maintained on the roadway portion using temporary pavement.

Work on the project started approximately February 22, 2010 and the project has an October 31, 2010 completion date.

Virginia Road Reconstruction

This project will reconstruct Virginia Road between Rakow Road and Illinois Route 31, with the exception of the new pavement recently constructed in connection with the Waste Transfer Facility, and the intersection at Illinois Route 31, which will be done as a separate future project.

This project will be constructed using Stage construction, maintaining one–way traffic southeast bound only (Rakow Road to Illinois Route 31) for the duration of the construction. Northwest bound traffic will be detoured on Illinois Route 31 to the north and then west on Rakow Road back to Virginia Road.

The contractor plans to start work around April 19, 2010 and the project completion date is July 2, 2010.

Walkup Road Widening, Resurfacing and Shared-use Path Construction

This project will provide pavement widening to extend the three-lane section of pavement from Dvorak Drive through Crystal Springs Road, add traffic signals at Pleasant Hill Road, Edgewood Road and Crystal Springs Road, add right and left turn lanes at intersections, and resurface the roadway in this area. In addition, a shared-use path will be constructed between Veteran Acres Park and Pleasant Hill Road on the east side of the roadway to enhance safety for pedestrians and bicyclists in the area.

Beginning in December 2009, public utility relocation work was started with the intent to move existing utilities out of conflict with the new roadway, path and storm sewers prior to construction to avoid delays. The contractor is expected to start construction around May 1, 2010 and project completion is expected in the summer of 2011.

Two-way traffic will be maintained throughout utilizing stage construction with daily or periodic lane closures as required using flaggers. This work will create delays and traffic disruption at times.

Federal Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality (CMAQ) funds will pay for 80% of the design and construction of this project and the 20% local match will use McHenry County Division of Transportation funds.

A project website (www.walkuproad.info) will be available to ask questions, get project updates, and obtain project information.

Rakow Road Widening, Relocation & Reconstruction

This project is currently in the Land Acquisition and Final Design stages. A summer 2010 letting is desired but is dependent upon the completion of the needed right-of-way purchases. It is anticipated that two construction seasons will be necessary to complete this project which is estimated to cost approximately 30 million dollars.

This project will relocate Rakow Road to the east of it’s current alignment starting at McHenry Avenue to soften the curve to the north and east.

It will also provide three thru-lanes of traffic in each direction from Ackman Road to Pyott Road, and dual left-turn lanes at Ackman Road, McHenry Avenue, Pyott Road, Pingree Road and Illinois Route 31.

Two thru-lanes in each direction will be constructed from Pyott Road to Illinois Route 31, and a pedestrian/bike path bridge will be constructed over Rakow Road for the McHenry County Conservation District’s Prairie Trail Path. Public Utility coordination is currently underway.

A project website will be available in the future to ask questions, get project updates, and obtain project information.

Pavement Preservation Projects

County Paving (Milling and Resurfacing) Project

This project includes milling and resurfacing on various County Highways as highlighted on the map in green. The project includes milling to a depth of 3.75” and patching any deteriorated pavement as needed. Then priming and placing a 2.25” lift of Binder Course followed by a 1.5” lift of Surface Course. Shoulder gravel will be added and thermoplastic pavement markings will be placed. The milled pavement material (RAP) is all recycled and re-used as aggregates in the new Hot Mix Asphalt.

The roads to be resurfaced under this project include:

• Nelson and Deep Cut Roads between U.S. Route 14 and Charles/Alden Road
• Hartland Road from U.S. Route 14 to Nelson Road
• Hobe Road from South Street to Kishwaukee Valley Road
• River Road between Illinois Route 176 and Lily Lake Road
• Ramer Road from Oak Grove Road to Lawrence Road
• Oak Grove Road from Illinois Route 173 to Ramer Road
• Charles Road, a short repair section just west of Illinois Route 47

This project will resurface 20 lane miles of roadway at a bid cost of $2,560,270.95.

Work on this project is expected to start about May 31, 2010 and has a contract completion date of August 6, 2010. The impact to traffic will be daily lane closures in the immediate work area using flaggers to control one-way traffic thru the work zone. These temporary lane closures will take place throughout the various stages of the project and should generally minimize delays to a short duration.

Chapel Hill Road Resurfacing (ARRA Project)

This project is funded through The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and will mill and resurface four sections of Chapel Hill Road that fall between previous intersection improvements. The actual project length is a total of approximately 1.9 miles between Miller Road and Johnsburg Road at a bid cost of $568,605.96.

Work on this project is expected to start around June 1, 2010 and has a 25 working day duration or five to six weeks to complete. This work will essentially be the same as described above for milling and resurfacing in terms of work methods and traffic impacts.

Crack Sealing Contract

This project includes routing and sealing cracks in the pavement using a hot applied rubberized filler material. This work is done to extend the life of newer pavements by minimizing the water intrusion into the pavement and base material, thus lessening the severity of the effects of freeze-thaw cycles.

Crack sealing will be done on the following roads in 2010:

• Kishwaukee Valley Road from the west County Line to U.S. Route 14
• Vermont Road between Garden Valley Road and Kishwaukee Valley Road
• Coral Road from Illinois Route 23 to South Union Road
• Hunter Road from County Line Road to White Oaks Road
• White Oaks Road between Illinois Route 173 and Hunter Road

If quantity remains in the contract after completion of those routes, Genoa Road and Harmony Road east of U.S. Route 20 will be treated to the extent possible.

This contract will crack seal about 42 lane miles of County Highways at a total bid cost of $125,211.06. The impact to traffic will be daily lane closures in the immediate work area using flaggers to control one-way traffic thru the moving work zone, and traffic delays should be minimal.

Microsurfacing Project

The 2010 project is still under development as the McHenry County Division of Transportation is working to create new mix designs using a more durable aggregate material than what is currently readily available locally. The project is anticipated to be ready for bidding in May with construction taking place later in the summer.

The road planned for this year is Charles Road from Nelson Road to Illinois Route 120. This includes about 8 lane miles of roadway at an estimated cost of $250,000. The 2009 microsurfacing project was not completed last year, but should be completed by the contractor in May, which includes work on Roberts Road and Altenberg Road.

The traffic impact of the microsurfacing work is more severe than paving due to the fact that the cure time of the microsurface material ranges from 30 to 90 minutes. Traffic must be kept off of the material during this time, creating long stretches of single-lane closures for the duration of curing time. Efforts will be made to minimize delays but due to the nature of the work, delays encountered could be significant.

Website Updates

Please visit our website at www.mchenrycountydot.org for periodic updates and for newly launched project specific websites.

Remember – Please drive safely in construction zones and watch out for workers!!

There’s an Initial Public Meeting to consider reconstruction of Bull Valley’s Fleming Road tomorrow afternoon and early evening.

It will be held from 4-7 at the County Administrative Building in Conference Rooms A & B.

Here’ the county’s objective:

The goal of the project is to develop a preferred improvement plan for Fleming Road which replaces the deteriorated pavement, improves safety, limits disruption to property owners, and maintains the character of the corridor.

If you remember the uproar about spending millions on Alden Road (sometimes called the ‘Road to Nowhere”), you will have some idea of what the fight against upgrading Fleming Road will be like.

That was a ten mile stretch and, ignoring the cost of bridge replacement, its price tag was about $10 million.

Fleming Road, on the other hand, is only 2.5 miles long.

The traffic count north of Bull Valley road is 2,900 vehicles a day, while the southern leg is 2,600 per day.  (There are twice as many vehicles rolling past the Skinner homestead on Lake Avenue in Lakewood each day.)

I couldn’t get a cost estimate out of Design Engineer Walter R. Dittrich:

“We are going out before we’ve done an ounce of engineering.”

I asked Dittrich how bad Fleming Road is. He stated the obvious several different ways:

“This is the only road that is posted at six tons per axle.”

This winter when the road had problems, the crew found they were “trying to patch about 3-4 inches of asphalt on clay.”

“There’s nothing left to resurface. The pavement is beyond its useful life.”

Pretty much like a l of other roads through Bull Valley, but, in this case, road repair will be financed by county taxpayers, not Bull Valley taxpayers.

I remember driving up Fleming Road last summer and seeing a small compactor rolling asphalt into place.

Folks in Bull Valley want horrible roads.

They think the bumpy pothole filled potholes discourage people from uses their village to get from one side of the village to the other.

But, there’s this little problem.

This major north-south road is a county highway.

It goes from Route 120 east of Woodstock to Country Club Road.

Now the odds of people showing up who just use Fleming Road to get through Bull Valley are pretty poor.

Most of those who attend the Tuesday afternoon meeting will be residents of Fleming Road or other village residents who see this as a threat to their desired way of life in Bull Valley.

Here’s the letter that explains to residents what the county highway department wants to do:

To Whom It May Concern:

The McHenry County Division of Transportation (MCDOT) has contracted with TranSystems to perform an engineering study for Fleming Road from Country Club Road to Illinois Route 120 (see attached Location Map).

The purpose of this letter is to inform you, as a property owner or resident along the project limits, of the beginning of the engineering study process. The project goal, topographic survey subsurface geotechnical investigation, project schedule, public involvement, and communication are described as follows:

Project Goal

The goal of the project is to develop a preferred improvement plan which replaces deteriorated pavement, improves safety, limits disruption to property owners, and maintains the character of the corridor. This goal will be achieved by engaging with the project stakeholders which include residents, property owners, local officials, townships, police and fire departments throughout the project duration. Input from and discussions with project stakeholders will help shape the look of the improvement.

Topographic Survey and Subsurface Geotechnical Investigation

The engineering study process will begin with a topographic survey and subsurface geotechnical investigation to collect information used in the study. The topographic survey will identify right-of-way and property corners for use in the preliminary design process and gather physical features along the roadway. Please allow them to enter your lands while performing their required duties as consultants of the County. They are authorized to do this in accordance with Chapter 605, Act 5, Section 4-503 of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (Illinois Highway Code) which reads as follows:

“For the purpose of making subsurface soil surveys, preliminary surveys and determinations of the amount and extent of such land, rights or other property required, the Department, or any county, by it’s officers, agents, or employees, after written notice to the known owners and occupants, if any, may enter upon the lands or waters of any persons, but subject to responsibility for all damages which shall be occasioned thereby.”

This survey crew will conduct their work in a manner intended to avoid property or crop damage, but any damages caused by their operations will be the responsibility of the County in accordance with the above statute. During this process, you will notice flags and wooden stakes being placed in the right-of-way and around your property. These items are used by the surveyors to mark their reference points and do not indicate where the limits of any improvements will necessarily be.

Also, trees along the corridor will be tagged for identification of the size, health, and species. The tree tags will not compromise the health of the trees, and if a tree is tagged it does not mean that it will necessarily be removed during the project.

During the subsurface geotechnical investigation, soil samples and pavement cores will be collected with drilling equipment. Samples will be tested to document the existing soil conditions and provide stability and drainage characteristics for supporting a new roadway. This work will be mostly limited to the roadway and shoulder area.

The topographic survey is anticipated to begin in the next few weeks (weather permitting) and the geotechnical investigation are anticipated to begin the next few months.

Project Schedule

The project is initiated with this introduction letter and is anticipated to be in study and design phases for 2010 and 2011 and the construction phase in late 2011 through 2012. The following are a few early estimated schedule milestones:

• January 2010 – Begin Topographic Survey
• January/February 2010 – Newsletter Update and Invitation to Initial Public Meeting
• February 2010 – Initial Public Meeting
• February/March 2010 – Begin Geotechnical Investigation
• March 2010 – Issue Resident Questionnaire

Public Involvement

The County’s intention is to regularly correspond with the project stakeholders, solicit suggestions, concerns, and ideas in the form of a resident questionnaire, and provide opportunities for discussions with the public during the study and design phases. Input from the stakeholders will be combined with design criteria and practices to arrive at a consensus for the preferred improvement.

Communication

The primary means to communicate information to the stakeholders will be through newsletters and a project website.

The first newsletter, anticipated to be mailed in January or February of 2010, will include information about the time and location of an initial Public Informational Meeting.

A website is currently being developed to provide the user the opportunity to keep informed and offer input on project related issues. Look for more information about the website in the first newsletter. If you know of an individual that desires to be added to the mailing list, please contact TranSystems, our project consultant, using the information below.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Mr. David Block, Project Manager with TranSystems at (847) 407-5313 / dwblock@transystems.com or myself at (815) 334-4980 / wrdittrich@co.mchenry.il.us.

Very truly yours,

Walter R. Dittrich, P.E.
Design Manager

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More information in this later article.