Of storms, rain & roads

Finally, a stretch of lovely, mild weather - well, with the exception of the brutal storm on Monday.

The storm knocked our power out for just an hour, but the Internet was down for two days. And then came Tuesday, and fields of purple coneflowers and monarda suddenly blooming! I guess they needed the rain.

The rainbarrels needed the water too -- ours were nearly empty, but the 3/4 inch storm managed to fill them back up with run-off from the roof!

In case you hadn't noticed, this isn't just summer - it is also road construction season. Construction and reconstruction, and then adding insult to injury, so many traffic lights out, further slowing any movement through Crystal Lake and points East!

Yes, I know, that sounds like a good reason to just stay home!

If you are like me, and drive on Route 14 between Woodstock & Harvard every week, you too have been witness to a perplexing series of road projects:

- first, crews were out replacing many of the centerline reflectors. They would remove one, fill the hole with asphalt, cut a new hole, and install the new reflector about 10 inches from the old one.

- then, they decided to do some pretty extensive patching. This was actually quite a fascinating process to watch -- and while waiting, or moving very slowly past the work crews for several weeks, I had lots of time to watch. First, the pieces of road to be removed were marked with spray paint, then someone came along with a piece of equipment designed to cut the road -- a big circular saw set to cut a line about 2 inches deep. Next, someone came along to blow the dust away from the cuts, presumably so the next workers could see the cuts. Then came a jackhammer machine to break up the road, followed by the big backhoe to dig the broken road out and put it in a dump truck. Finally, the holes were filled with asphalt, and compressed with a steamroller of some sort. They must have done over a hundred of these patches during the month of June.

- So, imagine my surprise when, July 5th, I noticed that ALL of the centerline reflectors (old and new) had been removed. And next thing I knew, they started grinding off the top two inches of the road all the way from Hughes/Hartland Road just west of Woodstock, to Dean Street. Now, in July, I have had the priviledge of watching a giant road-eating machine grind off the very same patches that were installed just a few weeks ago. I'm not kidding.

I have to believe that there was a more cost-effective way to manage this whole thing. Like maybe just do the current work, and skip the first two projects? I'm all for people having jobs, but do they all have to be employed to do (and undo) things on the same stretch of road?

Maybe I should spend some more time at home in the garden instead of out cursing the construction traffic. I certainly have plenty of rain water to use now!

Fleming Road Update

Members of the Fleming Road Alliance sent a series of updates to the County Board over the last couple of weeks to cover topics ranging from road design standards to Groundwater recharge issues.

Their bottom line is this: Keep Fleming Road in the same footprint.

And they have a list of ideas for why and how that can happen:

1. Maintain 10-foot lanes and 1-2 foot shoulders. Minimize grading. Repair the [road] base where necessary...

2. Leave the alignment (sight distance) and drainage patterns the way nature accommodated them when the road was first a local farm road.

3. Reduce the posted speed limit to the lowest permitted by law.

4. Post the weight limit at 6 tons per axel (as before), to maintain safety and extend the life of the road.

5. Preserve one of the last remnant Oak Hickory Woodlands left in this county.

6. Respect the property rights of owners to the middle of the road.

7. Embrace the Natural Heritage Corridor [the easements that TLC holds with the Village of Bull Valley along the roadway] and take this opportunity to be a leader in Context Sensitive Solutions [a road design framework promoted by the State].

8. Direct MCDOT [McHenry County Department of Transportation] staff to acquire the necessary variances, waivers and exceptions to avoid application of standards that do not fit Fleming Road's unique glacial topography.

9. Maintain control over the construction process. [This issue came up when county staff commented that they don't control what the contractors do when they are actually building the road.]

I'm sorry, but these all seem very reasonable to me. And, I think that much too much is spent on road work anyway, so why spend more than is necessary? It should cost less than $1 million to repair the road base in a few areas and then repave the 2 1/2 mile stretch of Fleming, as compared to $10s of millions to rebuild the road. So what if they have to repave it again in 5 years, that will still cost less than rebuilding the whole thing. Heck, they could repave it every year for 20 years, and it would still cost less than rebuilding it...

So, kudos to you, residents of Fleming Road, for standing up to say "enough is enough." I hope people in the right places are listening.

Fleming Road Update

With 17 Natural Heritage Corridor Easements under our belt, I guess TLC is serious about helping to preserve the Fleming Road corridor!

After attending the County DOT's fourth Citizen's Advisory Group meeting for Fleming Road on March 3rd. I can summarize the comments from the Village of Bull Valley, Fleming Road Alliance, Environmental Defenders, Boone Creek Watershed Alliance & County Bicycle Advocates in three words:

"You're Not Listening!"

Two alternatives were presented to the group: one that would require the removal of about 120 trees, and another that would result in just 19 trees being taken down. The one that saves more trees would use retaining walls and curbs/gutters in spots to reduce the amount of grading they would do where there are hills adjacent to the road as in the picture.

The members of the CAG have been saying for nearly a year that they would like the County to consider an alternative that keeps the road in the same footprint as it is in today -- 2- 10 1/2 foot lanes and a one foot shoulder (of sorts) on either side of the pavement.

Folks agree that the road needs to be repaired, and that there are a small number of areas where water pools on the road. They just don't understand why $935,000 or so is being spent to study "how" to overhaul the road, when the residents have asked that it be kept much as it is today.

At one point the discussion turned to safety, and the need to make the road more safe. A representative from the County Sheriff's department commented that the incidence of accidents on the road is "amazingly low." One of the CAG members pointed out that a good way to predict the future is to look at the past -- in other words, perhaps Fleming Road has such a low accident rate for the simple reason that it is in the configuration that it is today.

In fact, studies show that wide, flat, straight roads are less safe than roads that are more narrow and have trees and the like nearer to the pavement.

So, if we place safety ahead of speed, then maybe the road agencies could start replicating the design of Fleming Road - windy, hilly, narrow roads with lots of large trees near the pavement?

Are oaks like people?

The first TLC easement was accepted in 1991 from Leta & Alice Clark at the corner of Thompson Road & Route 120. The sisters wanted to be sure that their "Wildflower Preserve" was never developed, despite a friend's comment that the corner "would make a perfect spot for a gas station" one day! Actually, legend tells me that the friend's comment is what led the sisters to seek out someone to help them make sure that fate would never befall their lovely corner.

The photo was taken in April 2010 while driving past on Route 120, heading from McHenry to Woodstock. About 10 years ago, IDOT redid the intersection and took some land along Thomspon and 120, which I believe led to the eventual die-off of several oaks that were very near to the roads.

There was an enormous bur oak right at the corner that died in 2009. Some say "fungus" was the cause, but I feel in my heart that the bur oak's fate was sealed as soon as its roots were cut and crushed during the road work a decade ago.

I have started to think of these oak trees as if they were people. It's not that far-fetched, really. Sure, they live 2-3 times longer than most people, but they cannot reproduce until they reach some stage of maturity -- about 20 years old. Each oak is unique, and grows more distinctive as it ages.

As most people age, it isn't usually one thing that kills us, it's some combination of things that add up over the years. Well, why wouldn't it be the same for our oaks?

I would like to think that we can afford these elders a little respect, rather than seeing how much abuse they can take before they succumb?

What is Scenic about Fleming Road?

If you've driven on Fleming Road, you have probably thought "This is pretty" or words to that effect. But why do people react that way to some drives and not others?

The hills. The trees. The curves in the road. Trees close to the road. Trees overhanging the road way -- a canopy effect. It all contributes to a scenic driving experience.

A "peaceful and comforting ride" is how one friend describes her trip down Fleming. Another told me that when she is all stressed out, as soon as she turns onto Fleming, the stress melts away - it has that effect on her.

But there is a plan afoot to "improve" the road -- to make it safer -- by enlarging the shoulders to at least 4 feet, and by cutting some of the hills down. The work would also include a change in how water runoff is handled.

Currently, runoff goes wherever it can since there are not consistent swales along both sides of the road. That may sound bad, but actually, it seems to work okay. The runoff flows into the existing low spots along the roadsides and slowly infiltrates into the ground, or is absorbed by plant roots. Modern engineering "standards" say that proper road design means that one must build either large swales or curbs and absorption wells to handle the runoff.

And all that engineering comes at a price - it means widening the road way by nearly 30 feet, from the existing 22 feet of pavement, to at least 30 feet of pavement and up to another 28 feet of ditches. I'm sorry, but how is that an improvement? An improvement in what way?

Isn't it possible that the road way is okay the way it is? That it may not be perfect for everyone, but that in the grand scheme of things, it is a pretty darn good road, and any effort to bring it up to current engineering standards will not only reduce its beauty, but maybe even make it a more dangerous route for drivers?

Consider that the character of the roadway causes drivers to slow down - they slow down because the roadway is narrow, there are trees near the road, the curves and hills mean one cannot see much of the road ahead.

And that's okay.

Based on historic accident records, it appears that the current configuration of the road (with vegetation close to the pavement, hills that make it hard to see what's ahead, and lots of curves) is at least part of why accident rates are low.

Between 2005-2009 there were 38 accidents on Fleming Road. 32% (12) were collisions with deer; nearly all (87%+) of the accidents took place at one of the three intersections (Bull Valley Road, Country Club Road or Route 120). Drivers involved in the accidents were most likely to say that they didn't see the stop sign. 79% of the accidents were when the pavement was dry, and over half occurred during the day. There were no fatalities, one serious injury and six minor injuries.

The highway engineers who are studying Fleming Road right now say that there is only one spot along the road where visibility is a problem for people entering the road, and that is at Hidden Lane looking south. The solution, they said, would be to move a utility pole and trim some bushes. What that tells me is that the curves aren't causing a problem from a road design standpoint, neither is the vegetation close to the road.

So, maybe the buckthorn needs to be trimmed back here and there, but that's okay -- for many reasons. Apply a little Garlon 4 to the cut limbs, and help take care of them permanently!

What's a Scenic Road?

It may be safe to say that "scenic" is in the eye of the beholder. One person's scenic drive may be tedious to another who just wants to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible, and is annoyed by the hills, slower speed limits, curves and trees close to the road.

I love driving through the county's gently rolling farm fields, but know people who think this area is too flat and the farm fields are b o r i n g.

Whether one likes scenic vistas of farmfields, or curvy, hilly routes that cross through examples of the county's glacial remants (moraines, kettles, kames and outwash plains), there are many scenic driving experiences to be had in McHenry County.

For example, I think most any road through Bull Valley is scenic, with their windey turns and hills, plus the trees overhanging the road and the farm fields stretching across the rolling hills.

O'Brien Road (that turns into Vander Karr Road as one heads east) is one of my favorites. It crosses through farm fields, past conservation land, and over the Nippersink Creek in the north part of the county between Alden and Richmond.

Thayer Road is another of my faves, going from Alden Road in the west to Greenwood Road in the east, passing farm fields, oak woods, and crossing at least one branch of the Nippersink Creek. I find the vistas across farm fields along Thayer amazing. The view is fairly flat and most trees are in the distance, so they don't block the view. I'd like to explore some of the isolated woodlands out there sometime -- they seem so remote and mysterious!

In the middle part of the county, there is Collins Road running west from Woodstock across the flat, outwash plain that sits between the Woodstock and Marengo moraines. The road starts out straight and level, with beautiful views of an agricultural landscape. As Collins hits the Marengo Ridge glacial moraine, the character of the road is transformed into a hilly, wooded route - the vistas are gone, and trees are the norm.

Then there is Fleming Road, a 2 1/2 mile route that runs from Country Club Road at its south end northwest to Route 120 east of Woodstock. In that short stretch of road, one passes visible examples of the county's "swell and swale" glacial terrain, complete with kettles and hills that were left behind when the Wisconsin glacier retreated 12,000 years ago. Additionally, the road passes through perhaps the largest concentration of remnant oak woods in the county.

Scenic may be in the eyes of the beholder, but I'm sure glad for the scenery around McHenry County that I get to behold!

Turtle Crossing!

I'm thinking about getting some turtle crossing signs to put up along Dean Street, asking people to slow down and yield to these little fellas!

Last week we saw a painted turtle that had been run over right in the middle of the road. And yesterday, I saw a very large snapping turtle that had just made it (safely) across the road.

There are wetlands in the back of properties on the east side of Dean Street, and in the front of properties on the west side of the road.

Most turtles live in wetlands, but they lay their eggs in nearby upland areas. I suspect the snapper was scouting out a nesting spot where it is high and dry near our office, but actually lives in one of the wetlands across the street.

No one explains to the turtles that they need to stay away from roads because of the cars. I would imagine that for them, the road is just a really smooth and easy strip of land to cross while they are scouting for a good spot to lay their eggs.

The next challenge comes when the baby turtles (about the size of a half-dollar) hatch from the eggs, and then through some homing instinct, head off to find their mothers. These little guys are easy prey for many animals and birds. And if they have to cross a road, they are obviously very vulnerable to being squished -- let's face it, they are really small (so not very visible) and they are really slow (because their legs are so tiny!).

So, I'm thinking some well-placed turtle crossing signs are in order to warn folks to be on the look-out!

Fleming Road situation

I've been thinking a lot about Fleming Road (runs from Route 120 to Country Club, about 2 miles). If you haven't driven it, it is worth the drive. Truly one of the most scenic roads in the county. Hilly, wooded, gentle curves, the whole bit.

A friend calls it "tummy tickle" road because of the hills - a name that started when his kids were little and they liked the roller-coaster effect of driving along Fleming!

BUT, it is technically a county highway that is considered by them to be the route from Route 120 to Route 14 by way of Country Club Road and Ridgefield Road.

Over the years, some folks have used Fleming as a cut-through for just that purpose - to get from west Crystal Lake to points north like Wonder Lake. And folks who are "cutting through" are often looking to get from point A to point B a bit faster than it would take to go around on the main roads. And that means they want to go as fast as possible.

Well, Fleming just isn't that kind of road!

Fleming is more of a "Sunday Driver" road - you know, the kind where folks drive slowly, looking at the scenery, and enjoying the rural, pastoral landscape along the road.

Well, now the road may be threatened because some feel it needs some "improvements." And those "improvements" are likely to mean the road will be less hilly, wider, and with trees set back farther from the pavement. All of that translates into "less scenic" if you ask me.

Now, here's what I don't understand. Why can't they just replace the pavement and do the work within the existing right of way? Why can't they keep the road largely the same as it is today, and enforce the speed limits, rather than changing the road to make it more of a speedway for those folks who want to shave a few seconds off their trip from Crystal Lake to Wonder Lake?

Why?

Fleming Road Plans

We've had quite a few calls from TLC members asking about the County's plans for rebuilding Fleming Road in Bull Valley.

It is a short stretch of road that runs less than 3 miles between Country Club Road on the south and Route 120 on the north. I drove the road this morning after reading today's article in the Northwest Herald. The article reports on the Open House that the County's Highway Department had Tuesday night to begin discussing the proposed road repairs with members of the community.

It appears that the County is taking pains to avoid the debacle that occurred last year when the plans for widening Alden Road were announced!

Fleming is already designated a scenic road by the county, and the 5 minute drive along the road - even on an overcast day like today - makes the reason clear. The road is narrow, hilly, and many areas are lined with oak woods. The character of the road is decidedly rural in character, which should prompt drivers to slow down - which is one key to safety!

Road construction is a frustrating endeavor (in my opinion). People like their cars, and don't like to drive on roads with potholes or washboard conditions. Many people also like to push the speed limits, and seem unfazed by poor visibility or poor road conditions. Highway engineers are often motivated by safety when they propose widening road, removing hills and curves, and cutting down trees.

But, that is why it is so important that residents get involved in the process early, and stay involved, because the safety of those few reckless maroons who want to shave a few seconds off their drive should not dictate the design of any road.

The expressed goal of the county is to improve the roadway while preserving the scenic character of the route. We'll be watching the project as it moves forward, as this road - that runs through the center of the largest concentration of oak woodlands in the county - and the residents who live along it, should continue as a scenic road.