2004 Barrington Hills Roads & Bridges Update

Memo to Residents | Table of 2004 Road Repair Scope | 2004 Road Maintenance Program Presentation (a copy of the presentation in also available in PDF, appropriate for printing 981K)
Updates: 8/04 | 8/12 | 8/20 | 9/03 | 9/09 | 9/15 | 9/16 | 9/27 | 10/01 | 10/06 | 10/15 | 11/12 | 11/18

Subject: 2004 Roads and Bridges Update

Date: July 14, 2004

Dear Fellow Resident:

This letter is to provide you with the first of several updates on the roadwork that will be along or near your property. You are receiving this letter specifically because you may be temporally affected by the roadwork activities in the next 10 weeks. The attached table shows the scope and location of the work. Total cost of this year’s effort is budgeted at $762,000, including $90,000 in motor fuel taxes.

Our intent is to minimize the disturbance to your property, landscaping, utilities, and travel activities as much as possible. We are also working to minimize the noise and general construction impact from the perspective of being a distraction from our rural lifestyle. Please recognize that this project, as in year’s past, is a significant amount of construction work involving heavy machinery, movement of material, and relocation of traffic. I ask for your patience while we make these improvements near your property, and your care while traveling through and around the construction site. I certainly appreciate the inconvenience and we will do everything we can to mitigate the impact.

The new road surface will be very similar in width and location to the original road. We are not widening or relocating any of the original road surfaces. The results will be very similar to other road projects we have completed such as Helm and Meadow Hill Roads. These improvements are designed to minimize the impact on our rural lifestyle and improve our experience in driving, bike riding, walking, and horse riding along the roadways.

The following covers several subjects regarding the project. Since a wide variety of situations exist along the construction routes, it’s possible you may have additional questions or special concerns. Please contact me directly in this case and I would be happy to assist you.

You can also get frequent road condition and construction updates on the Barrington Hills WEB site at:
http://www.barringtonhills-il.gov/

I will also post specific road design and budget information.

1. The Work Scope

This year (2003 recap available online) we are planning on the following road sections:

• Plum Tree Road – Braeburn to Cuba
• Ridge Road – south of Oak Knoll south towards Lake Cook
• Cuba Road – various components as part of a multi-year effort
• Various road repairs, particularly south of Lake Cook
• Inspection and characterization of all bridges and box culverts in the Village

We are currently expecting to begin work at the end of July. I will have more information as as get closer to construction and the schedule is more firm.

Last year we completed the following road sections:

• Ridge Road -between Oak Knoll and Merri Oaks
• Meadow Hill Road - between Lake Cook and Fox Hunt (but not the hill)
• Haeger’s Bend Road - between Lake Cook and Chapel Road
• Church Road
• Algonquin / River Road

We completed this work under the project budget and made maximum use of our state provided funds which come from Motor Fuel Taxes. Because we worked so late in the year, we will have some additional landscaping work to do in some of these areas. If you still have any outstanding landscaping or driveway issues, please let me know.

2. Temporary Road Closures

During portions of the project, the following road segments will be closed to thru traffic.

Ridge Road will be closed between Oak Knoll and Lake Cook

Update 8/04 August 6th signage will appear in the construction zone, with work beginning by August 10th.

Update 8/12 Sawcutting of patching and pavement removal began today, with flaggers providing traffic control. Weather permitting, the contractor will be beginning the pavement removal/shoulder excavation and replacement tomorrow, and continuing next week. Signs and flaggers should be observed through the construction zone.

Update 8/20 The bituminous base course widening and patching was completed on Friday. The contractor anticpates placing level binder on Tuesday, and projects the placement of the final surface by the end of the week.

Update 9/03 The petromat and final surface has been in place since Wednesday, September 1. The binder was completed the previous week. Placement of aggregate shoulder was completed Thursday September 2nd. Final landscaping (topsoil, seed, and blanket) will begin after Labor Day. No work will occur over the holiday weekend.

Update 9/09 The landscaping (topsoil, seed, and blanket) is complete. Once the seed has started to germinate the Village Engineer will prepare a punchlist to close out the project.

Plum Tree Road will be closed along various sections, notably the hill and intersection approach east of Ridge Road.

Update 8/04 August 9th signage will appear in the construction zone with work beginning by August 16th. Surveyor flags will be seen throughout the project area denoting utilities, elevation and points of reference to the plans. Construction is expected to take six weeks.

Update 8/20 The contractor has scheduled the sawcutting to begin on Monday August 23rd. Construction staking has begun on the east end of Plum Tree and will continue throughout the week.

Update 9/03 The saw cutting will continued throughout the week and was completed by Thursday September 2nd. The contractor will resume working after Labor Day. No work will occur over the holiday weekend. After the holiday the silt fencing will be installed and the contractor expects to begin patching operations on Wednesday September 8, 2004.

Update 9/09 The contractor will begin patching operations and it will extend into the follwing week. No road closures are scheduled yet, but should be expected for the excavation for the storm sewer and work at the eastern end near the hill. Traffic control signs and flaggers should be observed through out the construction zone.

Update 9/15 The contractor is continuing patching on Plum Tree Road, and anticipates that patching will be almost complete by the end of the day. Once the patching is complete the pavement removal and shoulder excavation will begin for the base course phase of the construction.

Update 9/16 The contractor has completed the patching on Plum Tree Road. Begining on Monday 9/20 will be the construction of the storm sewers and culverts, starting with driveway culverts.

This phase of the construction will require the temporary closure of the road on Tuesday 9/21 and Wednesday 9/22, because several of the culverts cross the full width of the road. Notification will begin this week to the school bus companies and Algonquin Township Highway Department and Fox River Grove as the other road jusridictional authorities in the area. Watch for the detor signage on Monday September 20th.

The contractor may require a road closure in a few weeks for a period of 8 to 10 days to accommodate excavation and construction around the hill in the area roughly 800 feet west of Ridge Road.

Update 9/27 The contractor will continue for the entire week the excavation of the edge of pavement and shoulder. Patching of the culvert trenches begain today.

On Monday, October 4th further closures will occur of Plum Tree Road and lasting two weeks. Work will occur in the area of the large hill, roughly 800 feet west of Ridge. Specific information on the progress will be available through the office of the Village Engineer (847-478-9700, Mike Lukich) to residents, Algonquin Township, Fox River Grove and the bus companies.

Update 10/1 The road will be closed to through traffic from Monday, October 4th to Friday October 15th during the construction in the area of the hill which is approximately 800 feet west of Ridge Road.

During this time all driveways located west of 650 Plum Tree should exit west to Algonquin Road, and all driveways east of 650 Plum Tree should exit east to Ridge Rad. Signage and flagers will give direct information during construction.

Day to day updates or questions may be directed to the resident engineer at 847-344-4482.

Update 10/6 The contractor continues throughout the remainder of the week to place the base course layer on the north side of the road, and intends to complete the entire length by weeks end. On Friday October 8th the contractor will resume excavation of the designated areas on the south side of the road.

Thereafter the concrete subcontractor is expected to begin forming and placing the curb, and all of the curb is expected to be in place by the end of the day on Monday October 11th.

Miscellaneous patching is expected to occur at the same time on Meadowhill, Chapel, and Cuba roads.

Update 10/15 At the conclusion of work on Friday October 15th the contractor will re-open Plum Tree Road to thru traffic Work will continue on the roadway and drivers are advised to exercise caution. UPDATE 10/15 Posted 4:00 PM - The contractor was unable to complete the work and Plum Tree Road remains closed to thru traffic.

Update 11/12 Final surface was completed this week on Plum Tree. On Monday November 15th, the stone shoulder will be placed on the south side of the road, and Tuesday the ditching will be completed. Landscaping is scheduled to begin on Wednesday or Thursday of next week.The road remains closed to through traffic until the completion of the shoulder work. Local traffic during construction to adjoining homes is possible upon direction of the contractor and roadside signage. Caution still should be exercised in the work zone.

Update 11/18 The contractor has completed the rough grading and the roadway has been re-opened to through traffic. There will be remaining work by the contractor which includes final landscaping. Caution still should be exercised by all drivers.

Local and emergency traffic will always be allowed through. These road closures are necessary because the poor condition of the original pavement sections and the narrow area in which the construction crews are to work. In order to protect the safety of the construction crews and people traveling on the roads, it was determined that the best course of action is to close certain roads sections during a portion of the project. While road closures are an inconvenience to our residents, it will help to speed up the construction schedule allowing us to return the roads back to normal service sooner. Most of the closures will only last a few days at a time.

We are working to schedule to closures so that they do not happen simultaneously. We will provide additional information on the road closure schedule, and detours will be well marked in advance of the closure.

3. School Bus Pick-Up

We will be in contact with Barrington Transportation Company and we will be coordinating with them regarding the temporary roadway closures. You will receive additional notification of any changes in school buss pickup. Barrington Transportation Company can be reached at 847-381-1043.

Update 9/16 In regards to the temporary closures of Plum Tree Road, those persons in Fox River Grove School District #3, may contact John Hill (Superintendent & Transportation coordinator) at 847-516-5100 (Phone).

4. Stakes and Markings

Some of you may notice stake markings along the construction routes set back some distance from the existing road surface. In the past people have misinterpreted these as the location of the new roadway. This is NOT the case. These markings are set back away from the work area to provide stable reference points for the construction work; they are not representative of actual pavement location.

5. Landscaping, Mailboxes, and Driveway Aprons

We have been taking photos and documenting the landscaping, driveway aprons, mailboxes, and other signage along the construction route. We are always very conscious of these elements during construction. However, some disturbance is inevitable during this kind of project. We are committed to returning your landscaping elements to their original condition by the end of the project.

If you plan on moving your driveway or making other significant changes regarding your property as it adjoins the roadway, this would be a good time to bring it to our attention. By coordinating our efforts, we can avoid confusion and lower the costs of the work both to you and to the Village.

For those of you interested in driveway paving, or upgrades to private roads, we can put you in touch with our contractors. While the Village does not pay for these services for you, you might find you can get a good price since the work can be coordinated with adjoining Village activities. A number of residents have taken advantage of this in the past.

I believe you will find that the new roadways will be a substantial improvement over past conditions. If you have any further questions, please give me a call at 847-381-8174 or e-mail at Bob@RGALabs.com; or our Village Manager, Bob Kosin, at 847-551-3004.

Sincerely,

Robert G. Abboud
BH Village Trustee
Chairman Roads & Bridges
13 Country Oaks Lane
Barrington Hills, IL  60010
Bob@RGALabs.com
Home: 847-381-8174
Office: 847-381-1932
Cell: 847-921-1932

Village of Barrington Hills 2004 Road Repair Scope
July 14, 2004