DeKalb Times

DeKalb County Highway Committee met Jan. 2.

Here is the minutes provided by the committee:

A meeting of the Highway Committee of the DeKalb County Board was held on Thursday, January 2, 2020, at 6:00pm in the Conference Room of the DeKalb County Highway Department, located at 1826 Barber Greene Road, DeKalb, Illinois 60115.

Chairman Plote called the meeting to order at 6:00pm and called for the roll. Committee members present were Ms. Emmer, Mr. Luebke, Mr. Osland, Mr. Pietrowski, Mr. West and Vice Chair Willis. The County Engineer, Mr. Nathan Schwartz, Mr. Wayne Davey, Support Services Manager, Mr. Josh Merchant, Operations Manager, Sheriff Roger Scott, Chief Deputy Andy Sullivan and eleven (11) guests were also present.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA:

Motion made by Mr. Luebke and seconded by Vice Chair Willis to approve the agenda as presented. The motion passed unanimously.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Mr. West moved and Ms. Emmer seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the November 7, 2019 regular meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

PUBLIC COMMENTS: Two citizens stood and spoke reiterating their comments and concerns presented at the Highway Committee meeting held on November 7, 2019, about the driving conditions of Plank Road, specifically between Moose Range Road and just east of Lukens Road. Their concerns are the speed of the vehicles, drivers not obeying the rules of the road by passing at intersections, and vehicles passing when vehicle(s) in front of them are making a turning movement that requires them to cross a lane of traffic. Signatures continue to be collected on a circulating petition and it was reported 230 signatures have been recorded showing support for extended no passing zones and a reduced speed limit on Plank Road. Two unfortunate fatalities that happened just before Christmas were also mentioned. Chairman Plote thanked everyone for taking time out of their busy schedules to come tonight and sharing their concerns with the Committee.

RESOLUTION #R2020-01: AWARD RESOLUTION FOR THE PURCHASE OF ONE NEW CAB AND CHASSIS

Mr. Schwartz stated each year the Highway Department replaces one of their plow trucks. A bid letting was held at the Highway Department earlier in the day with two vendors submitting three bids. The low bid meeting specifications was submitted by CIT Trucks, Inc from Loves Park, Illinois. The amount of their bid was for a Kenworth cab and chassis in the amount of $99,498.02. An engine warranty, after treatment warranty and a transmission warranty was also recommended for approval for an additional $2,938.00. The total cost for the cab and chassis and warranties is $102,436.02. Mr. Schwartz recommended forwarding this resolution to the full County Board recommending approval. Vice Chair Willis moved and Mr. Osland seconded a motion to forward the resolution to the full County Board recommending approval. Motion passed unanimously.

PLANK ROAD SAFETY REVIEW

Chairman Plote requested Sheriff Scott and Chief Deputy Sullivan join the Committee at the table for the Plank Road Safety Review. Mr. Schwartz reviewed his letter to the Highway Committee sent on December 26 highlighting when the road was built, when the subdivisions were platted, when North Grove Elementary School opened and the upgrades made to Plank Road over the years. The long term solution to safety concerns would be to relocate Plank Road to eliminate the curve at Moose Range Road. The mid-term solution for the concerns expressed tonight as well as those heard at the November 7th meeting, would be the construction of additional lanes for left/right turn lanes from the curve west of Gerry Lane east through the intersection of Lukens Road. In the short-term Residence District warning signs with a recommended 45mph speed placard could be erected in the area of Gerry Lane and Devine Way to warn drivers of increasing traffic entering and exiting Plank Road at those locations. The Committee inquired if the recommended 45mph speed would be enforceable by law enforcement. Chief Deputy Sullivan stated suggested speed limits are just that – a recommendation and exceeding them would not allow the Sheriff’s department to issue citations for exceeding the recommended speed. Mr. Schwartz explained that recent engineering studies conducted for Plank Road allowed for the extension of one current no passing zone and also allowed for two zones to be combined into one no passing zone. No other action concerning passing zones was justified. The engineering study supported a residence district speed zone for Plank Road from Moose Range Road south but did not support any additional reduction in the current rural speed zones. The Committee inquired into the speed limit signs that flashes a vehicle’s current speed while passing the sign – warning drivers of their speed and to slow down if exceeding the speed limit. The County Engineer stated that option has been explored and has not been ruled out as an option. Sometimes those signs work very well at first, but over time drivers tend to go back to their old habits of speeding. The Committee asked if any grant money would be available to add the additional turn lanes. Mr. Schwartz stated the State just gave the County safety grant funds for the approximate two million dollar Plank Road upgrade. It is possible that the State would want to collect a few years of data to see if the current safety measures are working to change driver’s behavior on Plank Road before they would grant any additional funds to move forward with additional upgrades. The Sheriff’s Office reported 27 crashes and 85 driving complaints and wrote 228 citations for Plank Road during 2019. A large portion of grant money is used to step up enforcement on Plank Road but the Sheriff’s Department cannot sit on Plank Road all the time. Mr. Luebke moved and Mr. Pietrowski seconded a motion for the Highway Department to bring to the Committee during the month of February a resolution for an altered speed zone on Plank Road for the residence district south of Moose Range Road. Motion passed unanimously. By consensus of the Committee, the County Engineer was requested to continue with his recommendation to place Residence District warning signs in the area of Gerry Lane and Devine Way with the suggested speed limit of 45mph. The County Engineer was also requested to install flashing speed limit signs east of Gerry Lane and west of Devine Way to collect data on passing vehicles.

CHAIRMAN’S COMMENTS: Chairman Plote had no additional comments at this time. COUNTY ENGINEER’S COMMENTS:

The transportation improvement progress report was reviewed with the Committee.

- McNeal Road Bridge letting will be held during this month, January 2020.

- Motel Road Bridge is through the preliminary and design engineering phases; ROW acquisition will begin this month for this project.

- Peace Road/Mercantile Drive resurfacing project is also through the preliminary and design engineering stages. This is a DSATS project in conjunction with the City of Sycamore.

- Peace Road at Route 64 is 95% complete. The temporary signals will remain in place until the permanent signals are installed during the spring of 2020.

- Plank Road is 90% complete. Weather has become a factor now and the final landscaping, raised reflective pavement markers, and additional overhead lighting at select intersections are left to be completed.

- Pearl Street Bridge has been selected for Major Bridge funding for a complete bridge replacement. It was approved prior for only a deck replacement. The project has now been reprogramed for 2024.

- Somonauk Road Culverts project is at 80% complete for the preliminary engineering and 60% design engineering.

- South First Street Culvert replacement preliminary engineering is at 95% complete and the design engineering is 100% complete. This project is on track for a spring letting.

-Waterman Road, phase 2 and 3, the landscaping will continue in the spring as the weather permits.

For a legislative update, Springfield is not in session and no new movement from the Federal Government on finding additional ways to fund transportation needs.

DSATS is currently updating their Long Range Planning document and working on year- end closing processes.

Corson Drive residents are hopefully signing the plat tomorrow night. A question still remains about the property lines at the northwest corner of the subdivision.

The Qualification Based Selection process will begin this month for 2021 projects. The projects are the McGirr Road bridge in Pierce Road District, Suydam Road bridge at Stonehouse Farm, and the Plank Road realignment project.

The Department has completed the Environmental Survey Request for two 2021 projects. By completing these surveys in-house instead of by a consultant as in years past, it allows the Department to receive information concerning any cultural or biological issues 3-5 months earlier. This information can then be acted on in a timely manner and hopefully eliminate any delays for these projects.

The County’s Peace Road/Route 64 safety project was the recipient of an APWA award. Our project was competing with projects from McHenry, Kane, DuPage and Kendall counties. Next the project will be competing with all of Chicagoland area.

The Department’s Annual Report will be presented during the Committee’s February meeting and then presented to the Committee of the Whole in February as well. Also during February bids will be received for our maintenance items, accessories for the plow truck approved tonight and materials for the new salt shed approved in the 2020 budget.

The Committee inquired if there was any further movement of extending train service farther west from Elburn. Mr. Schwartz indicated he was not aware of any such movement. Mr. Pietrowski stated local bus service was improved to get passengers to the train station in Elburn at more opportune times during the day and is a great resource.

ADJOURNMENT: Chairman Plote asked if there was any additional items that needed to be presented tonight and hearing none asked for a motion to adjourn. A motion was made by Mr. Luebke, seconded by Vice Chair Willis and passed unanimously.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:58pm.

https://dekalbcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/min20-hwyjan.pdf