Quentin Road Advisory Group Weighs Bike Path Options

The Community Advisory Group for Quentin Road expansion project was presented with two options for a bike path at a recent meeting at the Ela Area Public Library.

Both choices would position sidewalks on the west side of Quentin Road and a bike path on the east side between Rand Road and Route 22. 

The bike path for option one would be located parallel and roughly five feet from the road. 

Berms, walls and other visual screening would be considered for aesthetic purposes, said Sven Zimdahl, project manager at Civiltech Engineering, the firm contracted by Lake County Division of Transportation to handle project design.

The second option shows a path constructed in a meandering design, connecting it with the walking paths south of East Cuba Road near the Ponds of Kildeer and north of East Cuba at Prairie Creek.  

“The general thought from the group is the population that would use the path would prefer something further from the road, but no decision will be made until they go back to their homeowners association boards,” said Zimdahl.  

Zimdahl said his firm and the Lake County Division of Transportation, which is overseeing the project, expect a decision from the associations by the end of July. 

Lake County would have to obtain a permanent easement from the homeowners associations so they could provide for any future maintenance, which is another step in the process, said Zimdahl.

The June 22 meeting was the third gathering in an effort by Lake County Division of Transportation to include residents who ultimately will be affected by the widening of Quentin Road. The second meeting occurred March 16, and the first was held a year prior to that.

The project includes widening Quentin Road to two lanes in either direction, with turning lanes added to assist with access into subdivisions along the corridor.

Additional landscaping is also part of the tentative plan.

Expected effects of increasing the road to four lanes would include more traffic and resulting noise spikes. The backyards of some homeowners living on the west side of Quentin directly back up to the proposed expansion area.

This fall, another meeting will be held to present information about the installation of sound barrier walls to curb expected noise increases in the relatively quiet stretch of Quentin Road. 

If they are included in the project, the walls could be as tall as eight to 10 feet.

Residents of Lake Zurich, Kildeer and Hawthorn Woods live along the stretch of Quentin Road where the expansion project is planned.

“At this point, everything is conceptual until we get approval from the county, state and the federal government,” Zimdahl said.

After the meeting in the fall, Zimdahl said a public hearing will be held in early winter that will include all the as-yet undetermined final details so the public can weigh in.

Other issues that must be considered are the need to lower the profile of the road while keeping it three feet above the floodplain to account for potential flooding. 
Zimdahl said a result would be that grade walls may be needed.

The roughly $14 million project is expected to begin in 2016, and will pick up from a widening project on Quentin Road between Lake Cook Road and Rand Road slated to start in 2013.

From start to finish, Zimdahl said it should take about a year to complete.