Since many of the locally maintained roadways do not have platted rights-of-way, any improvements must be coordinated carefully with the Village, property owners, and, for projects utilizing State or Federal funding, IDOT’s Bureau of Local Roads.

One of the more challenging roadway designs was Meadow Hill Road, located between County Line Road and Spring Creek Road in McHenry County.  GHA prepared phased construction plans in 2002 and 2003 for the northern sections of the roadway, isolating the southernmost 600’ of the roadway north of County Line Road.  The existing cross section in this area included steep embankments (1H:1V) adjacent to the pavement, in some cases limiting the traveled way to as little as 15’ wide.  Design features included a modified curb design with 9” gutter to accommodate equestrian traffic, a geotextile slope retention system, and landscape treatments. As this portion of the roadway does not have a dedicated right-of-way, any improvements beyond the existing pavement edges required approval by the adjacent property owners.

GHA coordinated closely with Village staff and residents in order to develop a design that would address resident concerns without compromising engineering standards.  Regular meetings with the residents continued during the construction process, successfully maintaining open communications between the contractor and residents through project completion.