Reconstruction key points

Additional information on the Alden Road reconstruction project:

• This proposed project is scheduled to take 4 years or more to complete the construction phase.

• The County has plans to double it’s current right-of-way area from the existing 30 feet up to 60 feet from center on both sides of the road for a total right of way width of 120 feet from side to side.

• There are many objects located within this new right of way area—hundreds of lovely, mature trees, all the improvements residents have made to their properties such as landscaping, fences, etc., unseen improvements such as wells and septic systems, even families homes and other structures—some of historic significance. The County will have the right to clear away any objects within this area.

• In addition, temporary easements are called out on the MCDOT marked up aerial views of the road. (Note: as of August 18, 2009, the link to the marked up aerial views no longer works. MCDOT have removed the PDFs from their website. Email me for more info about this if you would like at melinda@aldenroadalliance.org) These temporary areas would be subject to clearing of objects as in the permanent easement/right of way areas, and there are places on their PDFs that show these temporary areas nearly equal in width to the proposed permanent easement areas. One specific area has been estimated to be 80-90 feet up into a resident’s front yard from centerline.

• While the MCDOT has stated that these easements/right of way are “worst case scenario,” we are using their own PDFs with marked up easements as a reference at this time.

• The plan is to widen the two-lane road by 12 feet, create large paved shoulders and wide, sloping ditches/waterways on either side.

• Total proposed land acquisition based on marked up aerial views on the MCDOT website could be equal to as much as 50+ acres worth of people’s yards and farmlands along this 7-mile road.

• MCDOT wants Alden Road to be brought up to Federal Highway Standards. This is the first County road of this type in McHenry County to be subject to these standards.

• Safety has been cited as one of the primary reasons for these proposed improvements, in particular the MCDOT has cited the role of “road condition” in accidents. This category includes design, maintenance and bad weather. An excerpt from a law website regarding road condition and accidents:

Road Design: The design of a roadway can contribute to accidents, by making it more difficult to see other vehicles, creating hazardous pinch points, presenting dangerous obstacles for drivers, or increasing susceptibility to weather conditions. Inadequate signage or signals, or their poor placement, can confuse drivers or make it more difficult to anticipate potential hazards. The alignment of a road, the degree to which it is banked, the adequacy of nighttime lighting, the visibility of road markings, and the nature and condition of the surface material, can all contribute to road safety.

• When asked at the Alden Township Meeting on July 2, 2009 what the particular stats were for Alden Road in terms of accidents caused by “road condition,” the MCDOTs response was that information was not known.

• Traffic on Alden Road is approximately 5,000 cars per day on the busier southernmost portion, with about half that amount to the north.

• The projected increases in traffic and population in this area to require such a road are realistically quite a few years away, especially in light of the current economic situation. The data projecting future growth for this area would have been gathered before the economy, housing market and job market took a nosedive. Of course, if it’s built now, it would also have to be maintained for all those years at significant taxpayer expense before it would ever meet the projected need.

Addendum: At the McHenry County Board meeting on August 18, 2009, MCDOT stated that they are going to re-examine the engineering on Phase I of the Alden Road project. We will remain vigilant during the months they state this process will take. Stay tuned for regular updates to this site.