Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Parker-Hadley Road Study?
The project corridor is County Highway 1 (CH 1) primarily in the Village of Homer Glen that starts on Parker Road at US 6 on the south and ends at the Cook County line via Hadley Road on the east. As the direction of CH 1 changes, the local street name designation changes. The local names for CH 1 include Parker Road, Chicago-Bloomington Trail, Hadley Road and 167th Street. For simplicity, the project will be referenced as Parker-Hadley Road.
Why is the Parker-Hadley Road Study occurring?
The life cycle of pavement [from building it to removing/replacing it] is approximately 35 years, depending on weather conditions and maintenance activities. Parker-Hadley Road was last reconstructed in 1981 – more than 42 years ago. The existing pavement is at the end of its service life, thus requiring reconstruction.
What does it mean to study Parker-Hadley Road?
Over the life cycle of pavement, requisites of the roadway may have changed. Topics that influence the roadway structure are traffic volume and vehicle/non-motorized composition, crash location and type, stormwater policy, geometric design criteria and environmental resources, to name a few. Each of these topics is reviewed to determine if they have changed in demand or frequency (vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, crashes), meet current policies and procedures (drainage, geometry) or if present and avoidance or mitigation is needed (wetlands, trees, floodplain, birds, bees, bats). Roadway alternatives will be developed and compared to each of the topics to define the best fit improvement for addressing identified deficiencies or needs.
How can I get involved?
In addition to completing the comment form on this website, there will be public meeting opportunities to review the information and provide feedback.
What is the project schedule?
There are three phases of project development. Phase I encompasses the preliminary engineering and environmental studies of the project. This phase includes reviewing existing conditions, identifying deficiencies and needs, summarizing environmental resources and determining right-of-way needs, if any. Alternatives are then developed to address the deficiencies and needs and evaluated to avoid or minimize environmental and right-of-way impacts. During this Phase, interested parties are given opportunities through public meetings and public hearings to share personal experiences related to the project, ask questions about development of the alternatives and provide input regarding selection of a preferred alternative. Phase II consists of contract plans development and right-of-way acquisition. Phase III is the actual construction of the improvement.
The Parker-Hadley Road Study is currently in Phase I. Phase I is anticipated to be completed in the last quarter of 2024; Phase II to begin in the first quarter of 2025; Phase III post 2026. The dates of Phases II and III are tentative and may change based on the availability of funding and project readiness.
The Parker-Hadley Road Study is currently in Phase I. Phase I is anticipated to be completed in the last quarter of 2024; Phase II to begin in the first quarter of 2025; Phase III post 2026. The dates of Phases II and III are tentative and may change based on the availability of funding and project readiness.
Why are so many trees tagged?
In March 2022, the US Fish and Wildlife Service classified the Northern Long Eared Bat (NLEB) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The NLEB uses dense tree areas and underbrush for roosting, foraging and commuting between summer and winter habitats. The corridor is heavily wooded with mature trees; thus, all trees adjacent to the corridor must be surveyed. The survey includes the location, size, condition, type and potential for habitat of the NLEB. Each surveyed tree was tagged to aid in the location, identification and documentation process.
