CME.09 – Reconstructing North Old Mchenry Road for the underpass at the Canadian National Railroad

• Hanan Alghizi
• Carlos Gonzalez
• Emily Pugacewicz
• Chelsea Salgado
• Laura Tomas

The proposed design and construction methods for a segment of North Old McHenry Road between North Midlothian Road and North Quentin Road will provide a safe, effective, modern, and aesthetic multimodal transportation solution. The segment of North Old McHenry Road between North Midlothian Road and North Quentin Road is a class four minor arterial road that is intersected by the Canadian National Railroad. The Canadian National Railroad crossing through Hawthorn Woods has caused traffic delays for stakeholders. A traffic study conducted from 2015 to 2019 found that of all the crashes that occurred, 27 percent were injury crashes. The proposed design project will address such concerns. Traffic delays and crashes will be addressed with the construction of an underpass and a roadway design alternative. This project proposes a roadway design alternative that is compatible with the underpass and pump station. Concepts from Complete Streets, Low Impact Development, and construction management serve as the general framework for roadway design and proposed construction methods. A traffic study and existing stormwater management methods have played a crucial role in shaping the design and ensuring a well-informed and effective solution. Based on the approach and analysis, the typical cross-section will include vehicle lanes, green buffers, wide sidewalks and bike lanes. Additionally, an intersection has been added to the midblock of North Old Mchenry Road after the underpass going east to align the driveways of the Hawthorn Woods Public Works facility and the combined driveways of the church and garden center. The new intersection allows for a more controlled entrance to the church and businesses on the south side of Old Mchenry as well as safer controlled truck access to the Hawthorn Woods Public Works facility. This cross-section will increase multimodal connectivity between Hawthorn Woods neighborhoods, the Hawthorn Woods Community Park, and businesses on North Old McHenry Road. Green infrastructure components incorporated into the cross sections will include bioswales as green buffers, sidewalks and bike lanes paved with permeable pavers, and green medians that will quantifiably reduce the burden of stormwater runoff on the pumping station for the underpass. The proposed construction plan is made up of 2 phases. Phase 1 describes the box jacking method of installation for the underpass and a temporary road for traffic during the installation. Phase 2 describes the repaving of the road and an alternate route for vehicles. For both phases an accompanying construction site safety plan will outline general hazards, procedures and rules during construction. The proposed design establishes a safe, effective, modern, and aesthetic multimodal transportation solution for the Hawthorn Woods community.