August 26, 2009 - 439 words
County to re-examine Alden Road project
MIKE NEUMANN - The Woodstock Independent
At the Aug. 18 McHenry County Board meeting, the McHenry County Division of Transportation said it would reevaluate its plans for the Alden Road reconstruction project.
The project, which MCDOT said would cost between $20 and $25 million for construction alone, had received significant opposition from residents along the construction path and key public figures, most notably State Rep. Jack Franks and the four County Board members who represent the district where the improvements were to occur, Randall Donley, Mary McCann, Daniel Ryan and Ersel Schuster.
If approved, the project would have included the reconstruction of deteriorated pavement, the regarding of drainage ditches and installation of new crossroad culverts to improve stormwater drainage along the road and the widening and reconfiguring of intersections as safety enhancements.
The improvements would be made from Charles Road to State Line Road.
Wally Dittrich, the county's design manager, said the MCDOT recognized the concerns and decided to re-evaluate the project.
"As part of every project we go through there's always this public process," Dittrich said, later adding, "The process is working, and that's why it's set up the way it is."
Over the next four to five months, Dittrich said the county would re-examine engineering plans. For two or three additional months, the county plans to engage the public on the revised scope of the work. A public hearing on the project is likely to be held by spring or summer 2010.
Even with the possibility of a revised project scope, Dittrich noted that the road is still in poor shape and that yearly resurfacing of the road will no longer be sufficient.
"The purpose of the project hasn't changed," he said. "The pavement has to be rebuilt."
Dittrich said the main issue with the road is that the sub-base -- the load-bearing layer of the pavement -- has deteriorated since it was installed more than 50 years ago. Water and erosion turned the sub-base "into mush" leaving "a bunch of pavement on substandard soil," Dittrich said.
He likened the road to a bad roof. Sometimes simply replacing the shingles doesn't work and replacing the plywood underneath is necessary, he said.
Alan Plane, who lives on Alden Road and opposed the project, said the Aug. 18 meeting was a small victory for people opposed to the project. He reiterated that the project will come forward in the future, at least in some fashion, and that it is up to residents opposed to the project to keep a watchful eye on the county.
Dittrich said the county is constantly changing and evaluating its public engagement process and will explore ways to better address the public as the project moves forward.
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