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Community Corner

Headaches Ahead As Rakow Roadwork Begins

The widening project is slated for completion in November 2012.

April could prove to be a cruel month for those trying to get around on Rakow Road.

The $27 million Rakow Road construction project is slated to officially get underway Tuesday. But the worst of the congestion for the heavily-traveled road is expected to come in the first two to three weeks of April when Rakow will be reduced to one lane.

“It will be bad; there is no two ways about it,” said Terry Heffron, spokesman for the McHenry County Division of Transportation. “It’s crowded now with two lanes open ... We’re going to put temporary pavement on the north side of Rakow and move traffic up there while we work on the eastbound lanes. There is going to be disruption and flagmen. Start thinking now about alternate routes of travel.”

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Heffron said, depending on the weather, traffic on Rakow will be restored to two lanes in mid-to-late April or early May.

The 3-mile stretch of Rakow between Ackman and Illinois Highway 31 is one of the most heavily traveled roads in McHenry County, officials say. The two-year construction project includes straightening and widening Rakow to six through-lanes between Ackman Road and Pyott Road; and four lanes between Pyott Road and Illinois Highway 31.

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All intersections on Rakow Road will be widened, including dual left-turn lanes where deemed necessary, according to county officials.

The road was named after James Rakow, the former superintendent of highways for McHenry County, who passed away in December of 2010.

The Rakow Road project is slated for completion in November 2012. For more updates on the construction project, visit the Rakow Road construction website.

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