From the McHenry County Council of Governments 2023 priority list on roads and mass transportation:

2023 MCCG Transportation Priorities

• Randall Road from Acorn Ln./Polaris Dr. to Ackman Road – The Randall Road corridor is part of the National Highway System (NHS) and the busiest commercial corridor in McHenry County. This project will ease congestion (rush hour and weekend), provide safe travel opportunities for bicyclists and pedestrians, and improve economic development in the Village of Lake in the Hills and City of Crystal Lake – the most populated section of McHenry County.

• Intersection Improvements Projects – The MCCG will continue to advocate for intersection mprovement projects in McHenry County, including, but not limited to the following:

o IL 47 at Ware Road
o IL 47 at Charles Road
o IL 120 at Chapel Hill Road

o IL 47 at IL 176
o US 12 at IL 173
o IL 31 at Three Oaks Road
o Spring Grove Road at Ringwood Road
o Alden Road at O’Brien Road
o Maple Road at Coral Road
o Spring Grove Road at Miller Road
o Kishwaukee Valley Road at Vermont Road
o Tryon Grove Road at Keystone Road
o Millstream at IL 176
o Union Rd at IL 176
o Greenwood Road at IL 173
o Franklinville Road at IL 176
o Bay Road at Cuhlman Road

• Proposed Metra Woodstock Yard Site – This regionally supported project will ultimately increase service and ridership on the second busiest commuter rail line in the Chicago region. This project has received support at the local, county and federal level.
• McHenry County Township Bridge Replacements – Since 1979, the State Township Bridge Program (TBP) funding allocation has remained at $15.0 million (605 ILCS 5/6-901) across all of Illinois despite massive increases in construction prices over the 43-year period. McHenry County has 81 township structures, half of which are currently eligible for repair or replacement, but only receives $163,355 in TBP funding annually from the State of Illinois. The Illinois Association of County Engineers determined in 2000 that the annual shortfall for the TBP funding was $38.3 million. Additional State TBP funding is requested to keep township bridges in a state of good repair.
• East McHenry Bypass and Fox River Crossing – This project will ease congestion at IL 120 and Chapel Hill Road/River Road and the bottleneck at IL 120 and IL 31 while providing commuters easier access to the City of McHenry, Village of Johnsburg, Village of Ringwood and points north. [Ths sounds like the old FAP 420 route, since given to the Tollway by the Illinois Department of Transportation as a result of Al Jourdan’s lobbying.]

• Commuter Rail Service to Huntley and Rockford – As there is very little regional rail service
through McHenry County, this long-awaited project would help connect the City of Chicago with the
City of Rockford with stops in the Village of Huntley and City of Marengo.

Projects to Monitor:

• IL 31 from IL 120 in McHenry to IL 176 in Crystal Lake – This corridor will help move commuters
and commerce between McHenry and Crystal Lake with connections to points south such as I-90 and
points north to Wisconsin.

• IL 47 from Reed Road in Huntley to US 14 in Woodstock – This project includes the IL 176 and
IL 47 intersection improvement project and is vital to the flow of commerce between I-90, the Village
of Huntley, the City of Woodstock and points north.

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I would think widening both Route 31 north to McHenry and Route 47 north to Woodstock should be top highway improvement priorities. Both were in State Rep. Jack Franks’ district in one decade or another, yet only repaving occurred.