Kane County DOT outlines decade‑long project timelines, funding shortfalls as planning chief departs

Kane County transportation officials told the county’s transportation committee on Feb. 18 that the time and local money needed to deliver major road and bridge projects are growing, and they warned that many projects will not proceed unless the county provides upfront local funding.

Tom Rickard, deputy director of transportation, opened a presentation on how projects are developed and funded and said the department will ask the board over the next two months to adopt updates to the five‑year financial plan and the county long‑range transportation plan. "Any project we do except for, like, emergency maintenance, repairs, that kind of stuff, any project we do are in these documents and they really are at your direction," Rickard said.

The presentation also included an announcement that Jackie Forbes, the county’s chief of planning and programming, will leave the department next week. Rickard called Forbes a key regional player and said, "She brings in literally tens and tens of millions of dollars into Kane County," adding that her departure creates a near‑term staffing and succession challenge for KDOT.

Why it matters: officials said many major capacity and bridge projects take years of engineering, environmental review and land acquisition before they reach construction, and most phases require local funds. Rickard told the committee that new construction projects commonly take 10 or more years from planning to completion, while bridge projects can take up to five years and typical repave/rehab projects two to three years.

Funding sources and examples

Mike (KDOT staff) summarized the department’s primary revenue streams and recent project funding packages. He said motor fuel tax (MFT), the RTA sales tax and impact fees are the county’s largest recurring local sources, and listed common federal and state programs the county pursues: Surface Transportation Program (STP), Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds administered via CMAP, Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), and state grant programs such as the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITAP). He also cited the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act as a source of federal funding for specific grants.

Mike used the Doberman Road extension (opened last fall) to illustrate how complex funding packages can be: "Total construction for Doberman was approximately $23,000,000," he said, adding the project used about nine different funding sources. He said roughly $8 million came from federal STP and TAP sources, another $8 million from federal CMAP‑administered COVID/community funds, $7.2 million from state grade‑separation funds, and the remaining local share (from MFT, RTA and impact fees) was roughly $5.8 million.

For a project still in design — the Randall Road/Hops grade separation — staff estimated a roughly $60 million construction cost and described a draft funding package that included $25 million of federal infrastructure funds, $12 million from grade‑separation funds, and about $10 million from STP/TAP, leaving a local share in the neighborhood of $13 million. Mike said the county is pursuing multiple sources and finalizing engineering and land acquisition.

Local match and timing concerns

Rickard and Mike stressed that phase‑1 engineering and many early‑stage costs must be paid locally before federal/state participation is available. "I want to strongly say this: If we don't have the local match, we are not able to seek grants and we are not able to address any type of capacity projects," Rickard said.

Committee members asked for clarification on several numbers used in the presentation. Board Member Williams challenged a cited growth projection, saying he found much smaller official annual growth rates in publicly available sources and asked staff to verify the 40% population increase figure used in long‑range planning assumptions. Rickard responded that the county relies on CMAP and other regional data sources and said local building permits and ongoing residential development indicate faster growth than some publicly posted census figures.

Reimbursement timing and cashflow

Committee members asked how long state and federal reimbursements take. Rickard said some reimbursements can take years: for the Doberman project, KDOT expects about $7.2 million from the grade‑separation fund and "some of those funds are starting to come in now, but it might take a couple more years in order to receive the full $7,200,000 from the ICC," and he said the state sometimes invoices the county for local matching shares several years after construction ends. He added the county invests funds while they are held and retains the interest until invoices are paid.

Other items discussed briefly

• Impact fees: Planning staff presented 2024 collections ($3.7 million) compared with 2023 ($5.6 million) and said outstanding fees from several projects may increase 2024 totals when collected.

• Ride and Cane program: staff said subsidies for some sponsored rides through September 2024 were covered and that the county has ceased subsidizing certain low‑income riders pending other funding avenues; an amendment to the Ride and Cane agreement was presented and approved.

• Permit regulations: KDOT presented an ordinance to consolidate and update county permit and access control regulations and to insert them into Kane County Code (new Article 4, Chapter 17). Staff said permit application fees had not been adjusted in 20+ years; the committee approved the ordinance.

Votes at a glance

Committee members approved a package of routine resolutions and contracts during the meeting. All items listed below were approved by roll call.

• Resolution authorizing two procurement cards for KDOT (approved) • Contract 40073: purchase of an OPW PetroVend fuel‑management system (approved) • Purchase of Ford F‑350 cab/chassis for KDOT (three trucks, total $163,386) (approved) • Amendment to the Ride and Cane agreement (approved) • Ordinance adopting revised KDOT permit regulations and access control regulations (approved) • Intergovernmental agreement concepts (Orchard Road/Montgomery, Big Timber/Pingree Grove) — consensus to proceed with agreements and stakeholder negotiations (conceptual consensus, not a formal contract award) • Delegation agreement with IDOT for Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) project administration (approved) • On‑call design engineering services contract with BLA ($850,000, 3 years) (approved) • Extension of BLA phase‑2 engineering agreement for Kirk Road bridge replacement (term extended to 2027, no appropriation change) (approved) • FHWA Highway Safety Improvement Program design contract with Gonzales Companies (not to exceed $299,406) (approved) • Multiple resurfacing contract awards (Nelson Lake Road, Dundee Township, Elgin Township, Lentschow Road) — lowest qualified bids approved (approved)

What the committee directed and next steps

Committee members and staff agreed the department will bring more detailed funding status and needed local match amounts to upcoming committee and county board meetings in March and April. Staff said the department will continue to pursue federal and state grants but emphasized that many grants cannot be pursued or cannot be finalized without local match funds earmarked in advance.

The committee session closed after routine reports were placed on file and the meeting was adjourned.