Salt Lake City C.F.I.
What's a C.F.I.? Continuous Flow Intersection. Quick, before you consider the issue further, go to www.nwherald.com and vote in today's Reader's Poll. Look on the right side of the homepage and scroll down to the Poll.
Read this morning's Northwest Herald. Unfortunately, the online edition does not include the image published in the print edition, which should clearly just what a foolish, expensive and confusing result the C.F.I. would be.
This roadway project, planned for the intersection Randall Road and Algonquin Road, seems to be moving ahead in McHenry County, regardless of objections from the Villages of Algonquin and Lake in the Hills.
The McHenry County Department of Transportation (McDOT) seems to be steamrolling it, in spite of these objections. Has the County Board relinquished its authority over the McDOT? Or has the County Board already given a green light to the project?
County Engineer Joseph Korpalski says, "The contract (for engineering and road acquisition) could be finalized this winter."
Oh, really? For road acquisition? For a project that hasn't been approved yet? Or has it been?
Sure, drivers might save a few seconds at that intersection after $80,000,000 goes down the gutter. (This County hopes to suck 80% of the cost out of the Feds.) The drivers might save seconds at this intersection, only to be stuck in long lines at the lights north and south of Algonquin Road.
County Board member and Transportation Committee Chairman Anna May Miller says the County has completed engineering studies that disclose the impacts on "the surrounding environment ... and on homes and businesses..." OK, how bad are the impacts?
And she gives the Northwest Herald the magic word that must be taught now in all classes about "How to Govern the Masses." That word is "collaboration". In "Government-speak", whether small city, County, State or Federal, it means "We are going to tell you what is best for you, and your job is to listen and nod your head."
Here's what will happen with a C.F.I. at Algonquin and Randall Roads:
Drivers will be confused.
Drivers will run the new lights on Randall Road before and after the intersection.
There will be an increased number of frontal crashes.
There will be an increased number of rear-end and chain-reaction crashes.
Pedestrians will be at greater risk.
Access by emergency response will be impaired.
Wait times at intersections north and south of Algonquin Road will be increased.
Watch the video above and decide for yourself. Then vote in the NWH Reader Poll today. Plus comment here.
5 comments:
It looks like a solution to a non existing problem. In other words it seems like a lot of money, time and labor will be spent for nothing. I think it's stupid. And did I read the price tag correctly? 80 million? In today's economy? Ridiculous!
Who in the hell dreamed up this one? How much do you gain for the expense of this configuration? Right turn lane has a merge lane with no stop, that's good. I see a lot of pavement for little benefit. Left lane still has a turn lane and oncoming traffic still has to stop.
Who writes this stuff? Ever heard of fact checking?
Algon 1, feel free to say more.
Facts: Projects of this size take many years and lots of man hours to make happen. Randall is so crowded now people will not use it on the w/e to shop. Think Rt14 in C.L. Seventy thousand vehicles a day go through the intersection mostly commenter traffic and growing. Currently, 126 seconds to traverse it during rush hour. The major fact is that no one just says here is a pile of money. The County needs State and Fed money to build the road from Harnish north to Rackow. To get that money, the project has got to satisfy requirements of being able to successfully move traffic in the year 2030. A conventional dual left intersection will not do that. Anything over 60 second delay at an intersection is considered a "failed" intersection and will not receive funding. Conventional yields a 93 sec delay, do nothing yields a 460 sec delay and the CFI yields 38 sec. As to the skeptics who say it will cause accidents, the existing CFIs in the country have shown a reduction over conventional intersections of like volume. They are not confusing. I drove one and it is intuitive and fast. The CFI costs $1 Million more than a conventional intersection. Please study it. Don't make stuff up in an attempt to kill the project because Algonquin, LITH, and C.L. depend on having good transportation to feed commerce. Commerce funds the communities so taxes don't.
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