Illinois Route 62
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algonquin Road | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by IDOT | ||||
| Length: | 20.82 mi[1] (33.51 km) | |||
| Existed: | 1924[2] – present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end: |
 IL 31 in Algonquin | |||
| East end: |
 IL 83 in Des Plaines | |||
| Location | ||||
| Counties: | McHenry, Kane, Cook | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Illinois Route 62 is an east–west state road in northeast Illinois. It runs from western Algonquin at Illinois Route 31 (Western Algonquin Bypass) to the intersection with Illinois Route 83 (Elmhurst Road) by industrial Mount Prospect. This is a distance of 20.82 miles (33.51 km).[1]
Route description
Illinois 62 is called Algonquin Road for its entire length, and is a northern parallel to Interstate 90. It is one of the few state roads in Illinois to be shorter than the name of the road that it marks, as Algonquin Road continues westward as McHenry CR A48 to Illinois Route 47 (about 8 miles (13 km)), eastward as a local road to Oakton Street and Riverside Drive by Interstate 294 (about 5 miles (8.0 km)), and northward as a local road to U.S. Highway 14 (about 5 miles (8.0 km)) in Fox River Grove. The eastward extent of Algonquin Road is mainly residential, however.
History
SBI[3] Route 62 was Algonquin to Chicago along the current Illinois 62. It followed Oakton Street and Talcott Road (in Park Ridge) to reach Illinois Route 43. In 1974, Illinois 62 was dropped east of Illinois 83.[2] In 2014, Illinois 62 moved west from Main Street to Western Algonquin Bypass.
Future
The Western Algonquin Bypass opened to traffic in September 2014. The bypass has a diamond interchange with Algonquin Rd. The bypass removes through traffic from Main St. at the intersection of Main St. and Algonquin Rd. Rt. 62 in downtown Algonquin.[4]
The Western Algonquin Bypass isn't the only limited access bypass on the table anymore as of 2015.[5] A southern Algonquin bypass right of way is being revived, due to funding constraints, as an (all-electronic?) toll bridge with tolls collected by the Illinois Tollway Authority for compatibily with IPass, and an arterial roadway rather than an expressway on the approaches to the toll bridge. The road would not be part of the Illinois Tollway system though, as is the same for the Chicago Skyway Tollbridge, though IPass is accepted on toll bridges. Algonquin Rd wouldn't actually be re-routed onto the proposed tollway (or toll bridge to be legal). There is currently no law against tolling the approaches to a toll bridge and there is no law specifing a maximum length of toll bridge approach roads that can be tolled.
A $1.50 toll to cross the Fox River is proposed. If cash would be accepted and if IPass users would receive a discount is unknown yet. It is proposed that the toll be removed once the project bonds are paid back.[6]
The Longmeadow Parkway Fox River Bridge Corridor is a proposed four-lane Fox River Bridge crossing and four-lane arterial roadway corridor with a median, approximately 5.6 miles in length, to alleviate traffic congestion in northern Kane County. The proposed road passes through portions of the Villages of Algonquin, Carpentersville and Barrington Hills, as well as unincorporated areas of Kane County. The western terminus is at Huntley Road west of Randall Road, approximately 1,300 feet northwest of the Huntley/Boyer intersection. From Huntley Road to the Fox River, the corridor primarily traverses mostly undeveloped properties or new subdivisions; these subdivisions were developed with a dedicated right-of-way to accommodate the proposed corridor. After crossing the river, the corridor parallels existing Bolz Road, to the eastern project terminus at Illinois Route 62.
The project was earmarked $4M in federal SAFETEA-LU funds, $5M in federal Surface Transportation Program funds, nearly $1M in federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funds, nearly $1M in state of Illinois Truck Access Route Program funds, and an additional $40M commitment from the state of Illinois.The preliminary construction cost estimate is $97M.
The proposed Longmeadow Parkway Bridge Corridor is envisioned as a regional roadway stretching from Huntley Road to Illinois Route 62 with a new bridge over the Fox River. The project received $4 million in the Federal Transportation Bill (SAFETEA-LU), however with a preliminary construction cost estimate of $97M, many project elements remain unfunded. With limited options to address the funding shortfall, eleven local governments in the Upper Fox Valley region passed resolutions requesting that Kane County consider funding the bridge through a user fee (toll funding). Based upon this request, the Kane County Board agreed to establish a Longmeadow Parkway Toll Bridge Task Force.
Phase I Engineering - County Board approved an amended Phase I Engineering agreement on November 8, 2011 for the work necessary to complete the Phase I Engineering for the corridor (including toll elements). Phase I Design Approval was obtained on December 4, 2013. Clearing the way for Phase II engineering.
Phase II Engineering - In July 2013 the County Board approved engineering agreements with four separate engineering firms to prepare contract documents and obtain environmental permits in preparation for bid opening in late 2015.
Land Acquisition - County Board approved an amended Right-of-Way funding agreement which provides over $13.7M for land acquisition. Land acquisition continues throughout the corridor until this funding is exhausted.
References
- 1 2 Illinois Technology Transfer Center (2006). "T2 GIS Data". Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- 1 2 Carlson, Rick. Illinois State Highways Page: Routes 61 thru 80. Last updated March 15, 2006. Retrieved March 24, 2006.
- ↑ "Illinois Highway Trivia". N9jig.com. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
- ↑ "Algonquin Western Bypass opens to traffic". Nwherald.com. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
- ↑ "KDOT: Construction Project - Longmeadow Parkway Bridge Corridor". Co.kane.il.us. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
- ↑ "Toll for Longmeadow Parkway is hot topic for Kane Co. Board race". Dailyherald.com. 2014-09-23. Retrieved 2015-12-29.