Randall Road Reconstruction Nears Completion

ALGONQUIN AND LAKE IN THE HILLS, IL — The $46 million Randall Road reconstruction project is nearing completion.

The project, which is 90 percent complete, was delayed in recent weeks as construction crews waited to receive shipments of pavement marking tape.

"The adhesive for the tape is manufactured in Texas, which was hit by a devastating freeze this past spring. In addition to failing power grids, much of the area’s processing equipment was not winter-proof, causing frozen nozzles and burst lines," according to a July 20 update on the McHenry County Division of Transportation's Randall Road construction website. "This situation, in conjunction with reduced supply capacities brought about by COVID-19, has caused a delay in the pavement marking tape material acquisition."

Construction crews have since received the shipment of the tape and on Aug. 5, began installing the permanent pavement markings, starting with the stop bars and pedestrian cross walk sat the Randall Road and Algonquin Road intersection. That work was expected to continue for a couple weeks.

Planning for the Randall Road widening project began in 2013 and construction got underway in 2019 for two miles of the project from Polaris Drive in Lake in the Hills to Harnish Drive in Algonquin. The thoroughfare has long been plagued by congestion issues.

"One of our biggest challenges locally is our regional traffic," Michael Kumbera, Algonquin's assistant village manager, told the Daily Herald in recent weeks. "Adding the capacity and making the safety improvements is going to make it a much easier experience for people to get through Algonquin."

The road has been widened from two to three lanes in each direction with up to four for the portion between Bunker Hill Road to Polaris Drive. The busiest intersection, Randall and Algonquin roads, will have three left turn lanes, two through travel lanes and right turn lanes.

A pedestrian underpass has been added between Harnish Drive and Bunker Hill and five-feet wide sidewalks have been added along Randall Road and Algonquin Road.

Fifty-eight percent of the cost of the project is covered by federal funds and 42 percent is funded by McHenry County.