Volo To Fund Intersection Improvements

From the 3/29/08 Daily Herald:

Volo to fund intersection improvements
By Lee Filas | Daily Herald Staff

Volo won't wait for the Illinois Department of Transportation to fix three dangerous intersections and will instead fund the work itself.

Mayor Burnell Russell said Friday work will begin as soon as the weather breaks in April to install traffic signals and turn lanes at Fish Lake Road and Route 60.

The improvements are expected to cost about $1 million for the intersection, which now has only a stop sign. The village will pay the entire cost.

"Route 60 is a state road, but we can't wait for IDOT to find the money to fix it any more," Russell said. "This intersection is dangerous and needs to be upgraded. So, we are doing it ourselves."

He said it's not the number of accidents there, but blind spots make it hard for drivers and pedestrians to see each other when traveling on Fish Lake Road or Route 60 near the intersection.

"And, with the Millenium Bike Path going through that area next year, it has the potential to be a real problem," Russell said.

The village will use loans to immediately fund the roadwork. The loans will be repaid with transportation impact fees paid to the village by developers, and a one percent sales tax increase.

The village board approved the sales tax increase in March, after voters granted Volo home-rule status in the February primary election.

Russell said Volo officials sought home-rule authority so they could use the sales tax to fund intersection and road improvements.

The larger sales tax checks should begin arriving in July.

"It'll be an increase of $350,000 this year because we are only getting about six months from it," he said. "But it should double next year and increase more as more commercial comes to town."

Once that project is complete this summer, Russell said, roadwork will begin on Route 120 and Fish Lake Road. The third project will be at Molidor Road and Route 12. Although that project is slated for late fall, he said it could be pushed until next spring.

"As long as we can do it ourselves, we'll do it," he said. "That's why we asked voters for home rule for the sales tax increase. We wanted these and other intersections fixed."