The McHenry County Division of Transportation is looking for public feedback on its proposed five-year transportation plan.

The county approves the program each year. It outlines the projects MCDOT intends to focus on in the coming years, with specific attention given to intersection safety, pedestrian improvements, transit system expansion and bridge maintenance, county officials said in a news release.

“This program is our chance to show the public exactly what the MCDOT has planned for the future, and give details on projects that our motoring public wants to know,” said Scott Hennings, the county’s assistant director of transportation. “This is also their chance to offer feedback on that plan and help shape the direction our county moves in.”

Pavement assessment and upkeep of more than 500 lane miles, preventive maintenance on the county’s 40-plus bridges, improvements on pedestrian infrastructure on county routes, infrastructure changes for mass transit, and intersection safety improvements are among the focuses of the program, according to the release.

Drew Duffin, the county’s transportation planning manager, told the transportation committee Jan. 7 that staff go through expected revenues and then try to spend funds as efficiently as it can to make sure the public’s money is going where it needs to go.

Duffin said officials are expecting motor fuel sales tax revenues will stay strong in the coming years. But engineering and construction costs are outpacing revenue growth, Duffin said.

He said fewer safety projects are getting started.

“Not to say that they’re not important. We’re just trying to make sure that we’re working [with the means we have],” Duffin said.

Transportation has less money to work with as a result of the county budget passed in November. The County Board voted to allocate $500,000 from Regional Transportation Authority sales tax dollars for squad cars.

McHenry County typically uses those dollars for transportation but also can spend them for public safety.

Duffin said a loss of revenues in the matching and bridge levies is estimated to reduce revenues by $4.4 million over the course of the program. Hennings said the two levies totaled $900,000 in fiscal 2025, but they were down to $20,000 combined in fiscal 2026.

Hennings said the loss would be close to $4.5 million over five years, and the funds are primarily for bridges. He said the county won’t have to “totally cut projects,” but $4.5 million is one bridge that will have to be funded by another source or delayed.

Historically, most of the money for bridges has come from the federal government, but that has been rolled back the past few years, Hennings said.

Members of the public can submit their comments and questions about the current five-year plan to mcdot@mchenrycountyil.gov through Jan. 19. The County Board is slated to vote on the plan at its Jan. 20 meeting. The full plan is available at engagemcdot.mchenrycountyil.gov/our-five-year-plan.