First Huntley Overpass Due This Year

New Illinois Tollway Director Kristi Lafleur headlined an open house at Sun City Monday explaining as she did at last month's groundbreaking ceremony how swell Huntley's $69 million full interchange with I-90 will be when it's done.  Deputy chief of engineering for planning, Rocco Zucchero, however, was the man with the actual traffic plan the next year or so which he shared for the first time with FEN.

The heart of interchange will be two new two-lane overpasses, the first under construction right now.  It's scheduled to be done by the end of the year, Zucchero said, but when it's finished. traffic both ways will switch to the new structure. Then the present overpass will be knocked down and the other new overpass will be built next year as well as new on- and off-ramps to tie the full interchange all together.  The good news, said Zucchero, is, "There'll always be one lane (of 47) open in each direction."  The downside to the whole plan is that westbound access to the Tollway won't come until the very end of the project.

From a business development standpoint that probably won't make much difference, according to Zuccher.  Informed there's a groundbreaking ceremony this morning for Lionheart Engineering relocating to Huntley, Zucchero said, he wasn't surprised.  "As soon as a (Tollway construction) contract's inked, the groundbreakings start to happen."

In the pic:  Tollway engineers said Monday Huntley's Route 47 full interchange with I-90 will be complete in 2013, cross their hearts.