The first roundabout installed in McHenry County encompassed St. John’s Avenue, Chapel Hill and Johnsburg roads in Johnsburg. (Photo by Gregory Harutunian/for Chronicle Media)

With the McHenry County Government Center and surrounding campus in Woodstock looming nearby, the disposition of the intersection at Charles and Raffel roads has long been a major concern for safety aspects, due to its high volume of traffic at peak rush hour times and the rural location with poor sightlines.

Vehicle congestion from the proximal Woodstock North High School also factored into the equation.

The McHenry County Board had considered alternatives to the current two-way stop sign, more than one year ago, by replacing it with a roundabout in lieu of a traffic signal. The option was quashed and returned to the county’s Transportation Committee April 5 on a 12-9 vote, for further discussion. The option of a traffic signal proved more costly and a larger footprint, although property acquisitions were made.

Personnel from Huntley-based Landmark Contractors, Inc. complete station marker surveys east of the intersection, where a roundabout will be constructed in rural Woodstock. (Photo by Gregory Harutunian/for Chronicle Media)

The full board voted 20-4 in favor of awarding a $2.18 million contract bid from Huntley-based Landmark Contractors, Inc. to build a roundabout, during its April 18 regular meeting. Approximately $2.6 million had been allocated for the project, which included nearly $350,000 paid for the engineering plans to the Aurora-based consulting firm of Crawford, Murphy and Tilly, Inc., with its corporate headquarters in downstate Springfield.

“The roundabout alternative satisfies the purpose and need of the Charles Road at Raffel Road Intersection Improvement project, which is to improve intersecti

With the McHenry County Government Center and surrounding campus in Woodstock looming nearby, the disposition of the intersection at Charles and Raffel roads has long been a major concern for safety aspects, due to its high volume of traffic at peak rush hour times and the rural location with poor sightlines.

Vehicle congestion from the proximal Woodstock North High School also factored into the equation.

The McHenry County Board had considered alternatives to the current two-way stop sign, more than one year ago, by replacing it with a roundabout in lieu of a traffic signal. The option was quashed and returned to the county’s Transportation Committee April 5 on a 12-9 vote, for further discussion. The option of a traffic signal proved more costly and a larger footprint, although property acquisitions were made.

The full board voted 20-4 in favor of awarding a $2.18 million contract bid from Huntley-based Landmark Contractors, Inc. to build a roundabout, during its April 18 regular meeting. Approximately $2.6 million had been allocated for the project, which included nearly $350,000 paid for the engineering plans to the Aurora-based consulting firm of Crawford, Murphy and Tilly, Inc., with its corporate headquarters in downstate Springfield.

“The roundabout alternative satisfies the purpose and need of the Charles Road at Raffel Road Intersection Improvement project, which is to improve intersection safety,” said Ben Redding, the McHenry County division of Transportation’s design manager. “The traffic signal option was evaluated but did not meet the minimum required traffic volumes to be installed.”

Traffic signal warrant studies and counts, conducted almost five years ago, assessed 16,000 vehicles used the intersection daily. The scope of safety concerns placed the intersection on the county’s five-year highway improvement plan. Raw data indicated that a 62 percent injury rate was generated from vehicle accidents and collisions at the site.

“Roundabouts are not common in the Chicago area. Therefore, the public may not be aware of the added safety value that a roundabout provides,” said Redding. “There was discussion at the county board level. However, there was not a strong resistance to the project. The county has a strong interest in improving the safety at this intersection.”

The county’s first roundabout was installed at the odd-slant intersection in Johnsburg, which took in Johnsburg-Wilmot Road, St. John’s Avenue, and Chapel Hill Road. Construction was initiated in March 2014, as a means of reducing traffic congestion in the morning and evening rush hour periods. Funding for the entire project came from the state of Illinois Department of Transportation, state motor tax allotments and proceeds to the county, and the county itself.

Last year, county board officials had floated the idea of mutual discussions with the Woodstock School District 200, and the city of Woodstock, as becoming partners in funding the Charles and Raffel road improvement project. The district’s transportation hub and Woodstock North high school are proximal with the intersection, and presumably would be frequent users.

At the time, the former county transportation committee chairperson Anna May Miller, now retired, had said there was “pushback,” although the concept of the roundabout option was based on positive feedback from the Johnsburg installation.

The roundabout designs have gained traction in the northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin area, resulting from the constant clockwise motion through the circle, with ingress and egress points at the connected streets. Vehicles approaching the roundabout must yield to traffic already negotiating the circle. A common site in England, and the mainland European continent, they are also less costly to install than traditional four-way signals.

Commonwealth Edison survey crews are presently marking the easement areas, where the relocation of utility lines will be undertaken over the next several weeks. Upon completion, roundabout construction will take commence. Landmark Contractors also has survey teams in the vicinity.

“The project will be in construction from May to Sept. 2017,” said Redding.

on safety,” said Ben Redding, the McHenry County division of Transportation’s design manager. “The traffic signal option was evaluated but did not meet the minimum required traffic volumes to be installed.”

Traffic signal warrant studies and counts, conducted almost five years ago, assessed 16,000 vehicles used the intersection daily. The scope of safety concerns placed the intersection on the county’s five-year highway improvement plan. Raw data indicated that a 62 percent injury rate was generated from vehicle accidents and collisions at the site.

“Roundabouts are not common in the Chicago area. Therefore, the public may not be aware of the added safety value that a roundabout provides,” said Redding. “There was discussion at the county board level. However, there was not a strong resistance to the project. The county has a strong interest in improving the safety at this intersection.”

The county’s first roundabout was installed at the odd-slant intersection in Johnsburg, which took in Johnsburg-Wilmot Road, St. John’s Avenue, and Chapel Hill Road. Construction was initiated in March 2014, as a means of reducing traffic congestion in the morning and evening rush hour periods. Funding for the entire project came from the state of Illinois Department of Transportation, state motor tax allotments and proceeds to the county, and the county itself.

Last year, county board officials had floated the idea of mutual discussions with the Woodstock School District 200, and the city of Woodstock, as becoming partners in funding the Charles and Raffel road improvement project. The district’s transportation hub and Woodstock North high school are proximal with the intersection, and presumably would be frequent users.

At the time, the former county transportation committee chairperson Anna May Miller, now retired, had said there was “pushback,” although the concept of the roundabout option was based on positive feedback from the Johnsburg installation.

The roundabout designs have gained traction in the northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin area, resulting from the constant clockwise motion through the circle, with ingress and egress points at the connected streets. Vehicles approaching the roundabout must yield to traffic already negotiating the circle. A common site in England, and the mainland European continent, they are also less costly to install than traditional four-way signals.

Commonwealth Edison survey crews are presently marking the easement areas, where the relocation of utility lines will be undertaken over the next several weeks. Upon completion, roundabout construction will take commence. Landmark Contractors also has survey teams in the vicinity.

“The project will be in construction from May to Sept. 2017,” said Redding.