Detours for getting around the Randall Road/Miller Road intersection in Carpentersville. The intersection will be closed for six months due to ongoing construction. (Provided map)

Motorists traversing Randall Road through the Miller Road intersection in Carpentersville have witnessed a variety of road construction prep work since late March.

Since then, construction workers have been busy relocating utilities, removing center medians, installing storm sewer crossings for water drainage, pile-driving wooden supports into the ground to prepare for the future roadway, laying down temporary concrete pavement, replacing traffic signals and hauling away large amounts of topsoil for later use. While that work resulted in lane closures and slowdowns, traffic has continued to flow through the intersection, and as work continued along Randall, the speed limit through the construction zone was 40 mph.

Until now. Any sense of relative normalcy ends this week as the Randall Road/Miller Road intersection is closed down for the next six months to allow workers to take the pavement and old bridge on Miller down to the mud and rebuild it all.

Motorists traveling south on Randall Road will have to turn west on Ackman Road, then south on Lakewood Road to reach destinations west of the closed intersection. Motorists traveling north on Randall must turn west onto Algonquin Road, then north onto Lakewood Road as their alternate route.

McHenry County officials are encouraging drivers to follow the posted detour or plan ahead to take alternate routes around the construction zone. Drivers are advised to plan and allow extra time when traveling through the area.

“Please keep in mind that all work is weather-dependent,” a notice states, “and the schedule may change accordingly.”

Between now and December, several major construction tasks will be completed. They include the tributary to Woods Creek being rerouted to the west side of Randall Road, and a new bridge being constructed for the tributary to pass beneath Miller Road. A decorative concrete noise wall will also be installed on the east side of Randall Road from Woods Creek to Miller Road and from Miller to Roosevelt Street.

The existing Randall Road bridge over Woods Creek will be replaced to accommodate the widened roadway that will have three lanes in each direction, with dedicated turn lanes. Other related improvements include an eight- to 10-foot multi-use path along the east side of Randall Road.

The newest phase of improvements on Randall Road is a continuation of planning and construction work in progress since 2014. For nearly two decades, the road has been increasingly congested, with daily traffic volumes increasingly higher than the roadway was designed to carry, making it less and less capable of accommodating traffic required to sustain the economic viability and regional mobility in the area.

The $63.4 million project is being done under a joint venture arrangement between Plote Construction Inc. and Dunnet Bay Construction. Funding is 80 percent federal, with the remainder coming from state motor fuel tax revenue. Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2027.

The McHenry County Division of Transportation has created a website, https://randallroad.info/, where people can check on the progress of work, and see past road construction projects.

Individuals interested can also sign up on the website for weekly email updates on construction progress and any related developments.