Campton Hills staff outline multi-year road plan, urge dedicated pavement maintenance funding

Scott Marquardt, the village engineering and public works staff member, gave a detailed status update on the village’s capital road work and recommended changes to budgeting and project sequencing. He told the board the 2026 road program is scheduled for a state letting on June 12 and that the village will be asked at the June 16 meeting to concur with the state’s award. “Construction probably late July to start,” Marquardt said, and the schedule would aim to complete work by this fall.

Marquardt highlighted several projects: a central section of Hampton Hills Road (Town Hall Road to Box Road) has federal grant funding and a design contract; it is currently scheduled for 2029 construction but staff said advancing the design could move it into 2028 or 2027 if federal funds become available. He also said two McDonald Road applications are currently on a contingency list for resurfacing and that staff will propose advancing design engineering (likely in 2027) to improve the village’s chances of moving those segments into active funding.

Trustees raised immediate concerns about interim conditions on McDonald Road. Trustee Benetti, who said he lives along the route, urged more than pothole patching and suggested targeted mill-and-fill or other interim resurfacing: “This road is barely drivable, in lots of places,” he said. Marquardt agreed that a combination of dura-patching, pothole patching and some mill-and-fill will likely be necessary to keep the road serviceable until full-depth reclamation is possible on the village-owned segments.

Marquardt also reviewed the Harley Road bridge project (over the UP railroad). He said a phase 1 report is complete and phase 2 design will follow; a recent construction estimate is about $5.5 million, with a 10–20% local share for construction (roughly $500,000–$1.2 million) not including engineering or right-of-way costs. He warned trustees that the estimate does not include potential land acquisition costs.

On budgeting and asset management, Marquardt urged the board to adopt a dedicated pavement rejuvenation line in the annual budget rather than relying on leftover balances. He said resurfacing investments require planned follow-up maintenance roughly three to five years later and that the village’s recent user-fee revenue provides an additional funding source to support recurring maintenance. He also recommended improved GIS mapping of storm sewers, culverts and other underground assets to inform future planning and maintenance priorities.

Marquardt flagged two regional studies: an IDOT study of the Route 47/McDonald (and Burlington) intersection for safety improvements and a larger Kane County/IDOT Route 47 corridor study (PE/EL) that is beginning consultant selection. He said both efforts are still at early stages and currently lack construction funding. He told the board staff will monitor those studies and bring proposed local coordination and comments back to the trustees when preliminary plans become available.

The board asked staff to return with specific proposals for interim pavement work on McDonald Road and to present any contract requests tied to advancing design engineering for contingency-funded projects. The public-works committee will continue to develop recommendations for budgeted pavement rejuvenation and for preparing the GIS inventory.