Concerns Spiral Over Proposed CFI, Randall Access Points; County Works to Balance Area Traffic Needs

Concerns continue to spiral among village officials and business owners in Algonquin and Lake in the Hills over a proposed continuous-flow intersection at Algonquin and Randall roads.

The two-legged continuous-flow intersection at Algonquin and Randall roads is part of the county’s preferred plan for improvements along Randall Road, which includes widening the busy thoroughfare to six lanes between Ackman and County Line roads. The intent of the changes is to improve traffic flow.

“It’s meant to get people to the expressway and it’s also meant for people to shop. These are two very competing interests,” said Wally Dietrich, design manager for McHenry County Division of Transportation.

A continuous-flow intersection contains a crossover lane that has traffic turning left placed to the left of oncoming traffic. A continuous-flow intersection at Randall and Algonquin would be the first of its kind in the state; there are only a handful of continuous-flow intersections across the United States. This YouTube video from the Utah Department of Transportation demonstrates how a continuous-flow intersection works.

Some business owners fear the changes in access points and rerouting of traffic because of the intersection will have a negative effect on their businesses. Hand-in-hand with those concerns, many village officials fear the local economy — and the amount of money brought in by sales tax that support village services — would be slashed.

“We knew this was going to get a high level of interest. It’s challenging to find the solution,” Dietrich said.

The county is in the process of at  in Algonquin, where the county presented its proposal and asked the community for feedback.

“We heard it all from ‘build this tomorrow’ to ‘don’t build this’ to ‘you should build an interchange,’ ” Dietrich said.

The county will present its proposed next steps for the project at an upcoming Transportation Committee meeting. Construction of the $85 million to $100 million project would start in 2016, if the county can secure funding.

Algonquin Board Splits, Lake in the Hills Officials Oppose Plan

Algonquin village trustees are torn over whether the continuous-flow intersection is a good idea for their community.

At the March 6 village board meeting, President John Schmitt said that 18 years ago, village officials saw Randall Road as an “economic engine,” and the solution to the congestion problem would have to be something that would not cripple businesses at the intersection’s corner.

“During the meeting with the county and our village engineers, we addressed the major concerns reviewed by the members of this board, as well as others, and came up with a couple of very simple changes that will benefit our businesses and should have a similar impact on Lake in the Hills,” Schmitt said.

Instead of closing off access points on Algonquin Road as the continuous-flow intersection plans call for, Schmitt suggested leaving the road the way it is now, but adding a left-turn lane onto Stonegate from northbound and southbound Randall Road.

Trustee Bob Smith, the most vocal opponent of the continuous-flow intersection, preferred installing a dual-left turn lane onto Randall Road. He said it would mean that the county could move forward with the project without having to wait for federal funding dollars.

The completion of the continuous-flow intersection could be as long as 20 years from now, depending on how long it takes to get funding, said County Board Chairman Ken Koehler.

“Children that aren’t even born yet won’t be able to make a second left turn,” Smith said. He added that although an additional left-turn lane is not the perfect solution, the county has the dollars to do it, and it would have an impact within a short amount of time.

“If all you did was add a left-turn lane, in five years from now, the backups would be where they are now,” Dietrich said.

Funding was also a source of concern for Trustee Jim Steigert, who said he was worried that by only installing a dual-turn lane, it would not qualify the project for federal funding because it would not move traffic quickly enough. He said he has talked to a number of people in nearby communities who don’t visit Algonquin because of the traffic congestion.

Trustees John Spella and Debby Sosine agreed with Smith’s comments. Sosine also had concerns about the signage, saying she does not want the village to look like an expressway.

Trustee Jerry Glogowski wondered what installing an access road behind Jewel from Algonquin Road would do to the businesses in that area, since doing so would require knocking out a portion of the strip mall.

Trustee Brian Dianis gave lukewarm approval to the continuous-flow intersection plans, agreeing with Schmitt’s suggestions to leave the entry points on Algonquin Road open, but also having concerns over the signage and plans for the service roads.

 requesting McHenry County make improvements to a conventional intersection at Randall and Algonquin roads instead of putting in a continuous-flow intersection.

Many of the reasons behind the decision centered around fears over the continuous-flow intersection driving business away from Lake in the Hills. In recent weeks, the village’s Business Relations Committee has collected 39 signatures from businesses that oppose the continuous-flow intersection.

Area Businesses Sound Off

 hosted an informational forum on the continuous-flow intersection on Feb. 29. There, business owners and village officials expressed concerns about the proposed plan.

One of the main points of contention at that meeting was how closing or changing access points near Randall and Algonquin roads would affect businesses. For example, some access points would close or change to right-in right-out access points, under the proposed plan. 

Traffic in the proposed plan would be rerouted behind some of the major retailers at Randall and Algonquin, such as ,  and . The , 2450 W. Randall Road, Lake in the Hills, and GasMart USA, 10 S. Randall Road, Algonquin, would be demolished to make room. A PDF map attached to this article and found on the county's Randall Road project website shows the proposed changes to access points in the area of Algonquin and Randall roads if the county puts in a continuous-flow intersection.

Dietrich said that even if a conventional intersection were built at Randall and Algonquin, many of the same access points would be affected. He also said the conventional intersection would not help to move traffic as efficiently as a continuous-flow intersection. A PDF map attached to this article shows a conventional intersection alternative designed by the county and the access points that would be affected. 

Lake in the Hills Officials Want New Study on Randall Traffic

 collected during a 2007 study to determine the volume of traffic on Randall Road does not hold up today and is not a fair predictor of future growth.

The study projects that by 2030, average daily traffic on the corridor will increase 54 percent. During the heaviest hour of traffic, the number of vehicles driving on the Randall Road corridor could hit 6,300 vehicles, up from an average of 3,600 vehicles in 2007, according to the last available data.

Bob Huckins, a Lake in the Hills Village Board trustee, told Patch during the chamber’s recent informational meeting that he thinks the county should look at conducting a new study.

He said the high number of foreclosures in the area, as well as other economic woes in recent years, could mean fewer cars traveling along Randall Road now and in the future. Village officials discussed issues over the Randall numbers during a February village board meeting.

Dietrich said that while traffic might not be as bad today, over time things will change.

“Over the course of history, there are peaks and valleys,” he said. “We were always designing this with 2030 traffic projections in mind … When we build something like this, we want to make sure it lasts.”

Looking Back, Looking Forward: Randall Road

The proposed Randall Road improvement plan has been a long time coming.

Ten years ago, an interchange was proposed for the intersection. That plan shifted after receiving public feedback, Dietrich said. The county has worked over the years to weigh the concerns of the public and the traffic needs for the area when creating its plan.

“We feel this plan does the best it can to address access concerns and mobility concerns. That is the balance we have tried to strike,” Dietrich said.

But, he understands that balancing act is a delicate one.

“Some concerns will never be addressed no matter what you do,” he said.

all roads.

The two-legged continuous-flow intersection at Algonquin and Randall roads is part of the county’s preferred plan for improvements along Randall Road, which includes widening the busy thoroughfare to six lanes between Ackman and County Line roads. The hope is the changes would improve traffic flow.

“It’s meant to get people to the expressway and it’s also meant for people to shop. These are two very competing interests,” said Wally Dietrich, design manager for McHenry County Division of Transportation.

A CFI intersection contains a crossover lane that has traffic turning left placed to the left of oncoming traffic. A CFI at Randall and Algonquin would be the first of its kind in the state; there are only a handful of CFIs accross the U.S. This YouTube video from the Utah Department of Transportation demonstrates how a CFI works.

Some business owners fear the changes in access points and re-routing of traffic because of the intersection will have a negative affect on their businesses. Seemingly hand-in-hand with those concerns, many village officials fear the local economy — and the amount of money brought in from sales tax to support village services— could be slashed.

“We knew this was going to get a high level of interest. It’s challenging to find the solution,” Dietrich said.

The county is in the process of at in Algonquin. There, the county presented its proposed plan and asked the community for its feedback.

“We heard it all from ‘build this tomorrow’ to ‘don’t build this’ to ‘you should build an interchange,’” Dietrich said.

The county will present it’s proposed next steps for the project at an upcoming Transportation Committee meeting. Construction for the project if funding was secured —it’s estimated to cost between $85 and $100 million —would start in 2016.

Village of Algonquin Board Trustees Split on CFI; Village of LITH Officials Oppose Plan

Village of Algonquin trustees are torn over whether the CFI is a good idea for their community.

At the March 6 village board meeting, President John Schmitt said 18 years ago, village officials saw Randall Road as an “economic engine,” and the solution to the congestion problem must be something that wouldn’t cripple businesses located at the intersection’s corner.

“During the meeting with the county and our village engineers, we addressed the major concerns reviewed by the members of this board as well as others,” Schmitt said, “and came up with a couple of very simple changes that will benefit our businesses and should have a similar impact on Lake in the Hills.”

Instead of closing off access points on Algonquin Road as the CFI plans call for, Schmitt suggested leaving the road the way it is now, and also adding a left-turn lane onto Stonegate from northbound and southbound Randall Road.

Trustee Bob Smith, the most vocal opponent of the CFI, preferred installing a dual-left turn lane onto Randall Road. He said it would mean that the county could move forward with the project without having to wait for federal funding dollars.

The completion of the CFI could be as long as 20 years from now, depending on how long it takes to get funding, said County Board Chairman Ken Koehler.

“Children that aren’t even born yet, won’t be able to make a second left turn,” Smith said. He added that although an additional left turn lane isn’t the perfect solution, it can be done with county dollars and will make an impact within a short amount of time.

“If all you did was add a left-turn lane, in five years from now, the backups would be where they are now,” Dietrich said.

Funding was also a source of concern for Trustee Jim Steigert, who said he was worried that by only installing a dual-turn lane, it would not qualify the $80 million project for federal funding because it wouldn’t move traffic fast enough. He said he’s talked to a number of people in nearby communities who don’t visit Algonquin because of the traffic congestion.

Trustees John Spella and Debby Sosine agreed with Smith’s comments. Sosine also had concerns about the signage, saying she didn’t want the village to look like an expressway.

Trustee Jerry Glogowski wondered what installing an access road behind Jewel from Algonquin Road would do to the businesses in that area, noting that to do so, it would require knocking out a portion of the strip mall.

Trustee Brian Dianis gave lukewarm approval to the CFI plans, agreeing with Schmitt’s suggestions to leave the entry points on Algonquin Road open, but also having concerns over the signage and plans for the service roads.

requesting McHenry County make improvements to a conventional intersection at Randall and Algonquin roads instead of putting in a CFI.

Many of the reasons behind the decision centered around fears over the CFI driving business away from Lake in the Hills. In recent weeks, the village’s Business Relations Committee has collected 39 signatures from businesses who oppose the CFI. 

Area Businesses Sound Off

hosted an informational forum on  Feb. 29 on the CFI. There, business owners and village officials express concerns about the proposed plan.

One of the main points of contention at that meeting centered around how closing or changing access points near Randall and Algonquin roads could affect businesses. For example, some access points will be closed or changed to right-in right-out access points under the proposed plan. 

Traffic in the proposed plan would be re-routed behind some of the major retailers at Randall and Algonquin, such as ,  and . The , 2450 W. Randall Road in Lake in the Hills, and the GasMart USA, 10 S. Randall Road in Algonquin, would be demolished to make room. A PDF map attached to this article and found on the county's Randall Road project website shows the proposed changes to access points in the area of Algonquin and Randall roads if a CFI was put in.

Dietrich said even if a conventional intersection was built at Randall and Algonquin, many of the same access points would be affected. He also said the conventional intersection would not help to move traffic as efficiently as a CFI. A PDF map attached to this article shows a conventional intersection alternative designed by the county and the access points that would be affected.

Village of LITH Officials Want County to Conduct New Study on Randall Traffic

collected during a 2007 study to determine the volume of traffic on Randall Road does not hold up today and is not a fair predictor of future growth.

The study found by 2030, average daily traffic on the corridor is projected to increase 54 percent. During the heaviest hour of traffic, the number of vehicles driving on the Randall Road corridor could reach up to 6,300 vehicles, up from an average of 3,600 vehicles in 2007, according to the last available data

Bob Huckins, a Lake in the Hills village board trustee, told Patch during the Chamber’s recent informational meeting he thinks the county should look at conducting a new study.

He said the high number of foreclosures in the area as well as other economic woes in recent years could mean fewer cars traveling along Randall Road now and in the future. Village officials discussed issues over the Randall numbers during a February village board meeting.

Dietrich said while traffic might not be as bad today, over time things will change.

“Over the course of history, there are peaks and valleys,” he said. “We were always designing this with 2030 traffic projections in mind … When we build something like this, we want to make sure it lasts.”

Looking Back, Looking Forward: Randall Road
The current proposed Randall Road improvement plan has been a long time coming.

Ten years ago, an interchange was proposed for the intersection. That plan shifted after receiving public feedback, Dietrich said. The county has worked over the years to weigh the concerns of the public and the traffic needs for the area when creating its current plan.

“We feel this plan does the best it can to address access concerns and mobility concerns. That is the balance we have tried to strike,” Dietrich said.

But, he understands that balancing act is a delicate one.

“Some concerns will never be addressed no matter what you do,” he said.