‘Ask Mr./Ms. Kane County Person’: Why’s There No Traffic Signal on Route 72 and Big Timber?
We’re back by popular demand with a third installment of “Ask Mr./Ms. Kane County Person,” which surprisingly enough follows the first and second installments and seeks to find meaningful answers to philosophical questions such as the one sent in last week by alert reader Wendell Sutcliff, who not only is an alert reader but very fond of cap-and-lowercase style.
QUESTION FROM ALERT READER WENDELL SUTCLIFF:
Re: Stop Light Needed at Route 72 and Big Timber Road
Rich: Can You Tell Me Where The Disconnect Is Regarding The County Planning/Spending The Funds To Install This Important Traffic Signal? Randall Road Improvements Are Fantastic. Where Is This Upgrade On The List. I Can Tell You From Personal Experience That In The Fog I Was Almost Injured Due To The Lack Of Lighting And Traffic Signal.
Thank You,
Wendall Sutcliffe
Kane County Resident
Our answer this week comes from Kane County Division of Transportation Assistant Director of Transportation Steve Coffinbargar, who clearly is much kinder than KANE COUNTY CONNECTS’ MR. KANE COUNTY PERSON because Steve did not even come close to suggesting that Wendall maybe was sniffing too many exhaust fumes when he posed the question in the first place.
KINDER, GENTLER ANSWER FROM KANE COUNTY DIVISION OF TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANT DIRECTOR STEVE COFFINBARGAR:
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is the lead agency for the proposed IL 72 at Big Timber Road intersection reconstruction improvement, which will include roadway realignment, pavement removal and reconstruction, pavement milling and resurfacing, improvements to the existing open drainage system, installation of guardrail and traffic barrier terminals, traffic signal installation, and pavement markings. IDOT has indicated that Design Engineering and Land Acquisition are under way, and they are currently targeting a construction letting of June 2017, dependent upon on funding availability and the completion of land acquisition.
Sincerely,
Steve Coffinbargar
Assistant Director of Transportation – Implementation, Kane County Division of Transportation
So, there you have it. The disconnect is that it’s a state project and not a county project, which is a very common misconception alert-readerwise. The good news is that IDOT is working on it, and the bad news is that it’s not going to start for at least three years and only if state funding is available, so on behalf of the Illinois Department of Transportation, we offer this advice.
Don’t drive in the fog.
GOT A QUESTION FOR ASK MR./MS. KANE COUNTY PERSON? Email [email protected] and please put “Ask Mr./Ms. Kane County Person” in the subject line.
[…] Why’s There No Traffic Signal at Route 72 and Big Timber? […]