IDOT says end in sight for road-project misery
If you drive in the northern Fox Valley, you're going to heave a sigh of release when you read this.
Construction work on state Routes 59, 62, 68 and 72 that's been snarling traffic for those heading to and from points east of Algonquin, Carpentersville and Elgin should be finished in a few weeks. So should work closer to home.
(Michael Smart/Staff photographer)
That news can't come soon enough for those who have been caught up in that quagmire — a situation made all the more frustrating by patching projects periodically clogging roads along Route 31 between West Dundee and Elgin, and along Route 72, on the eastern edge of East Dundee. Those should be done by the end of the month, too.
Take, for instance, Tom Mikulay of Carpentersville. Mikulay said that one evening in September, it took him 90 minutes to drive three miles from the intersection of Barrington and Algonquin roads in South Barrington west to the point where Algonquin Road (Route 62) and Dundee Road (Route 68) split in Barrington Hills.
A few weeks ago, Kate Studt of Carpentersville was driving west on Route 62, coming back from Arlington Heights after a job interview. She was hit by another driver who made a turn into oncoming traffic in the construction zone at the intersection of Routes 59 and 62 in Barrington Hills.
"No one was seriously hurt. However, both cars required tows," Studt said.
And she recalled that a Barrington Hills police officer told her he was anticipating more accidents because of how confusing it was for drivers to find their way through orange-and-white barricades to the turn lanes.
Bill Williamson of Elgin is co-owner of Midwest Gymnastics Academy in The Arboretum of South Barrington, which stands at the northeast corner of Routes 59 and 72 (Higgins Road). Williamson said the gym and its users have been impacted by the construction and congestion.
"Several of our customers have mentioned or complained that it takes longer to get into the mall from Higgins and that the configuration of all the construction horses is confusing," Williamson said.
Williamson added that patrons have "told us that they left home earlier because they know it's going to take longer and they still end up being late for classes due to how bad the road work is messing up traffic."
Schools impacted, too
"Road construction at varying locations certainly has affected the travel time of students to and from school, not only for buses but also for parents and staff," said Jeff Arnett, chief communications officer for Barrington School District 220.
Arnett said the only school where there were consistent and significant delays was at Hough Street School in Barrington.
"The reason for this is because Hough School is the location of our gifted education classes, which bring students from all corners of the school district," Arnett said. "Given the distances some of those buses had to travel, they inevitably ran into construction sites around the area. Although not always the case, a few buses were as much as 30 to 45 minutes late on a regular basis. Those delays seem to have subsided over the past week as most construction projects are concluding, although some concerns remain."
Arnett noted all the schools in the district, including those in Carpentersville, have experienced construction-related delays of varying lengths.
George Velkme, area construction supervisor for the Illinois Department of Transportation, said the 100 percent state-funded work is "concrete pavement patching improvements on Routes 62, 68, 72, 59 and other locations. The project is a maintenance-type contract that is being performed throughout the six-county Chicago region. Acura Inc. was the low bidder and is performing the work."
Besides the concrete pavement patching, Velkme said some curbing will be removed and replaced, detector loops for the traffic signals will be replaced, and pavement marking will be restored.
"The contractor's schedule indicates that all locations will be completed by Nov. 6," Velkme said. "The locations given above are to be completed by Oct. 30."
