On a busy summer day, up to 50 boats may get on the Fox River at McHenry’s Miller Riverfront Park boat launch, which opened for the season on Wednesday.

Access to the city’s public launch off Charles J. Miller Road will get a little complicated for those boaters this summer, according to McHenry Parks and Recreation Director Bill Hobson.

The McHenry County Division of Transportation is set to resurface the south deck of the Miller Road bridge over the river, closing off the eastbound lanes and moving all traffic to the north deck.

It also means that vehicle access to the launch will be limited to right-in, right-out on weekdays, Hobson said.

McDOT says that left turns will be allowed on weekends for eastbound traffic “but it is a very busy road. Wanting to take a left there will prove challenging,” Hobson said.

Boaters planning to launch from the park are asked to enter from from the westbound lanes whenever possible, including weekends.

Hobson suggests boaters coming from west of the river use Route 120, turning south at either River Road or Chapel Hill Road towards Charles J. Miller Road to access the launch.

Boaters leaving the park to head east will need to take either Green Street or Route 31 north to access Route 120.

Each season, his department sells about 120 season passes to launch from the park. Hobson wants to ensure those season pass buyers – or those who buy a day pass – are aware of the bridge work.

“It will be a challenge” for boaters, Hobson said.

According to the McDOT website, the bridge work is set to begin in May and continue to December. The McHenry County Board approved the $6 million project’s bid package at its April 21 meeting.

Staging for that project began Wednesday, Hobson said.

The actual lane closures will probably occur the week of May 18, according to McDOT spokesperson Hans Varga.

The deck replacement project was moved up “to avoid overlapping with the Route 31 construction,” according to Varga. “We are very aware of the traffic that flows along the Fox River and, by extension, uses the Miller Riverfront Park launch. We are doing everything we can to ensure this project is as minimally disruptive as possible.”

Hobson was keeping an eye on water levels – and the Fox Waterway Agency website, foxwaterway.com – to determine when to open for the season. Due to the spring flooding, opening day was pushed back by nearly a week.

The Fox Waterway Agency announced on May 5 that the Upper Fox River, north of the McHenry lock and dam, and the Chain O’ Lakes are reopened to boating, but with a debris advisory on the entire system. The upper river remain no wake, according to a news release.

Season passes for the launch are $125 for residents in the 60050 and 60051 ZIP codes, and $180 a year for nonresidents. Day passes are $25 for the same ZIP codes and $30 for nonresidents.

Passes are available at the McHenry Recreation Center, 3636 Municipal Drive. There is a kiosk at the park for day pass purchases. Vehicles with trailers parked at the lot must display either pass in the windshield.

There are 23 marked parking spots for boat trailers, with overflow parking on the grass.

“It is one of the bigger launches” on the river, Hobson said.

The 60051 ZIP code – Johnsburg and Lakemoor – are included as residents because of how the launch was developed.

McHenry started working on a public launch in 1989, Hobson said, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers limited access due to the number of boats on the Chain O’ Lakes and river.

McHenry coordinated with Lakemoor and Johnsburg in acquiring the rights to a boat launch, Hobson said. Construction finished in late 2018.

The launch is typically open until late October or early November, Hobson said, but closes if the waterway agency closes the river.