Emergency workers know which roads need to be repaved
Nine hundred million dollars.
That's how much communities across the country will receive for crumbling roads and bridges in President Obama's economic stimulus plan.
Who knows how much Illinois will actually get. And from that, who knows how much Northern Illinois towns will get. But any money will be welcomed to fix the bumpy roads we've become used to driving on, say police and emergency medical workers who use them daily.
One kidney-rattling trip to the hospital along Elgin and Duncan avenues in an ambulance would be all the incentive officials need to decide how many dollars would pave that road. But those police officers and paramedics, along with thousands of other motorists don't have a say. Their hopes are just wishes now.
"I'd like to see Route 72 repaved from our fire station to Randall Road," said West Dundee fire Lt. Tom Lutzow. "And you can even continue with the work as you drive into Gilberts."
Gilberts Police Chief Mike Joswick agreed.
"That's a bad one," he said. "Talking on that radio and riding on that road makes me sound like I'm sitting in a vibrating chair. It's just one bump after another."
The portion of Tyrrell Road, north of Route 72 and Big Timber Road is another bad one, he said.
"Whenever we drive along that portion of road and some of the streets in the old part of town, our cars rattle along," the chief said.
The wear and tear the bumps put on cars shocks, suspension systems, and tires ages them quickly.
The stretch of curvy Huntley Road, west of Spring Hill Mall is another road that deserves some of the federal $787 billion stimulus package lawmakers approved last week. Its teeth-chattering potholes have been filled and dug up so many times that motorists veer into oncoming traffic to avoid them.
But who's to say whether the money will be used on it? Once the funds are released, elected officials must decide how they will be spent.
There's a good chance the federal dollars will not be used to repave Huntley Road because construction work is not ready, said West Dundee Village Manager Joe Cavallaro.
The town he works for governs the worse section of Huntley Road.
"It's not shovel-ready. There's still more engineering work that has to be done," Cavallaro said. "Until it is ready, we'll continue filling the potholes."
West Dundee's less-than-a-mile portion of Boncosky Road has a better chance being repaired with federal money Cavallaro said. It too is well traveled by east and westbound motorists and emergency workers who want to avoid more congested streets.