There are road projects and then there is Old McHenry Crossings, envisioned as a transformational game-changer for traffic flow, safety and public access in southern Lake County.
“This is a very large, complex project,” explained Shane Schneider, county engineer and director of transportation.
Untangling congestion centered in the Hawthorn Woods/Lake Zurich area along Old McHenry Road has been considered for years. Doing that will involve a railroad underpass and related improvements for what could be the single largest road project ever undertaken by Lake County.
Video still from the Old McHenry Crossing project site shows an underpass of the Canadian National railroad crossing near Midlothian Road in Hawthorn Woods.
Courtesy of Lake County Division of Transportation
“It’s really a convergence of four major highways and then right in the middle of that is a major freight line,” said Kevin Carrier, assistant county engineer.
About 30,000 vehicles a day travel on Old McHenry Road and there have been 370 crashes reported in the past five years. The Canadian National at-grade rail crossing is used by up to 20 freight trains a day with more expected, according to the Lake County Division of Transportation.
Lake County Board Member Adam Schlick, battalion chief with the Wauconda Fire District, says he has been stuck responding to calls.
“It’s a very helpless feeling,” he said this week before a vote on a key contract involving the project. “Two years seems like a long time but I look forward to this project starting.”
What is known as a Phase 1 study is wrapping up with the final public meeting on June 26 attended by more than 200. The initial planning stage involves a variety of studies and selection of a preferred alternative for the entire area, including a railroad underpass, Old McHenry, Quentin and Fairfield roads and nonmotorized improvements.
In all, more than 6,000 postcards were sent, letters to 157 property owners mailed and more than 350 people attended public sessions.
“A lot of people have an interest in it,” said Chuck Gleason, project manager for LCDOT. “They were more interested in how things are going to work and when we’re going to do it.”
Public outreach and input includes a dedicated project website omxproject.com with animated video of what it will be like to travel in the area when the project is completed.
“This was years of planning and there were a lot of concerns from the public,” said county board member Marah Altenberg of Buffalo Grove. “It’s impressive to see all the things they’ve (LCDOT) done to work with the community.”
This week, the Lake County Board took a key step in advancing the process toward actual construction by approving an $8 million engineering services contract for what is known as Phase II of the Old McHenry Crossings project.
TranSystems Corporation of Schaumburg will design what is considered the most important part of the project: Old McHenry Road from Fairfield Road to Bonnie Lane just east of the Hawthorn Woods village hall to include intersection improvements at Fairfield and Midlothian roads, a railroad underpass and bike paths.
“This is the start of a project that, when all is said and done, means children and families will be able to walk and bike from school to the (Foglia YMCA) or Community Park safely, away from traffic,” said county board member Jessica Vealitzek, a Hawthorn Woods resident whose district includes the underpass area.
First responders will be able to answer calls without waiting for freight trains and the center of the village won’t be clogged with thousands of vehicles, she added.
Construction of an underpass, known as a grade separation, and associated work is pegged at $66 million. Gleason said it will be similar to LCDOT projects previously completed on Rollins Road in Round Lake Beach and Washington Street in Grayslake.
The all-in cost for the initial project and future phases is about $150 million.
Lake County to date has about $16 million in grants available for the project. State and federal approvals for the completed Phase I are expected by late this year or early next year.
Also on Tuesday, the county board approved an increase of $551,206 with TranSystems for additions to Phase 1 work bringing that total to $7.32 million.
Once state and federal approvals are received for the completed Phase I report, expected late this year or early next year, land acquisition can begin and the county will begin applying for grants to fill the funding gap, Gleason said.
LCDOT strives to get 80% of a given project’s total cost, he added.
“We’re programmed for a 2027 letting to get bids out for construction,” he said.
A train passes through a crossing at Old McHenry Road Thursday in Hawthorn Woods where a railroad underpass is planned.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
The Old McHenry Road project includes the convergence of four main roads and a railroad underpass in the Hawthorn Woods area. The total cost for the initial project and future phases is estimated at about $150 million.
Courtesy of Lake County