All lanes on a stretch of Randall Road were opened recently as the improvement project now is complete, with the exception of some “miscellaneous work” and landscaping, according to consulting engineer firm Baxter and Woodman.
The stretch of Randall that’s reopened is from Harnish Drive in Algonquin north to Polaris Drive in Lake in the Hills.
To mark the work’s completion, a ribbon cutting is set for 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Southeast corner of Randall and Algonquin roads.
The $45.89 million project – more than half of which was paid for with federal dollars – included widening Randall Road to three lanes, with two left turn lanes and separate right turn lanes at all signalized intersections to relieve congestion in the heavily traveled corridor.
Work was expected to be completed in June, nearly three years after construction began, according to the project website, though it had been delayed because of Texas’ power grid failure earlier this year and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed the arrival of materials needed to wrap up the Randall Road project.
Pavement marking tape that was needed did not arrive when expected because the adhesive for the tape is manufactured in Texas, which suffered a winter storm that overwhelmed power grids, left millions of residents without power and immobilized the Southern Plains in February, according to The Associated Press.
“Much of the area’s processing equipment was not winter-proof, causing frozen nozzles and burst lines,” according to a previous Randall Road Project update. “This situation, in conjunction with reduced supply capacities brought about by COVID-19, has caused a delay in the pavement marking tape material acquisition.”