New flashing yellow left-turn lights coming to Crystal Lake Road and Walkup Road

Drivers traveling on Crystal Lake Road in and near McHenry and on Walkup Road in Crystal Lake soon will see flashing yellow arrow lights, according to a news release from the McHenry County Division of Transportation.

Flashing yellow lights allow drivers to make a left turn at an intersection after they have yielded to oncoming traffic, bicyclists and pedestrians. Other locations in McHenry County with the flashing yellow lights include where Algonquin Road intersects with Frank, Lakewood and Pyott roads in Lake in the Hills. Those lights were activated last year.

Weather-permitting, the signal activation process begins Monday and should be wrapped up by the end of the month, according to the release. During the activation, intersections will operate as four-way stops, and delays are anticipated, according to the release.

The intersection of Crystal Lake Road and Bull Valley Road in McHenry already has a flashing yellow light activated, and crews will be activating the yellow arrows at Mason Hill, Crystal Springs, Edgewood, Pleasant Hill and Hillside roads in the coming weeks.

Crews started on intersection safety upgrades, which included crosswalk improvements and traffic signal interconnection, among others, on Walkup Road and Crystal Lake Road last year, according to the release.

Before construction commenced, the Illinois Department of Transportation had identified a “trend of left-turning crashed and angle collisions” on Walkup and Crystal Lake roads.