Illinois Route 31 at Miller Road Kane County P- 91-446-09

SECTION 4(f) DE MINIMIS DOCUMENTION ILLINOIS ROUTE 31 AT MILLER ROAD PROJECT LOCATION P-91-446-09 Kane County, Illinois IDOT – Division of Highways – District One JULY 2014 1 1. Project Description a. Project number (State and Federal): P-91-446-09 b. Project Name: Illinois Route 31 (IL 31) at Miller Road c. Location: Dundee Township, Kane County, Illinois d. Project Termini: Along IL 31, the project limits are from just south of Commerce Parkway to 650 feet north of Miller Road. Along Miller Road, the study limits extend 175 feet west of IL 31. e. Project Type: W&RS and Channelization. The scope of work includes widening and resurfacing IL 31 to provide a northbound left turn lane, a shared-use path on the west side of IL 31, and drainage improvements. f. Project Length: 0.47 miles g. NEPA Class of Action: Categorical Exclusion Group II. h. Purpose and Need Summary: The purpose of the proposed action is to improve safety, capacity and operations at the IL 31 and Miller Road intersection. The lack of a northbound left turn lane at Miller Road results in stopped traffic in the through lane. Over 80 percent of crashes at this intersection are rear-end type, which is indicative of inadequate intersection channelization. The roadway ditch along the west side of IL 31, south of Miller Road, is inadequate and results in a drainage problem. i. Project Status: The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is performing a preliminary engineering and environmental study (Phase I) and is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2014. Contract plan preparation and land acquisition (Phase II) and construction (Phase III) are included in IDOT’s FY 2015-2020 Proposed Multi-Modal Transportation Improvement Program. Current engineering efforts are targeted to enable a contract letting in the early portion of the current multi-year program contingent upon plan readiness, land acquisition, and funding availability through future annual legislative appropriations. 2. Section 4(f) Resources a. Resource Type: Forest preserves b. Resource Name: Raceway Woods Forest Preserve and Brunner Family Forest Preserve c. Official with Jurisdiction: Forest Preserve District of Kane County (FPDKC) 2 d. Description of role/significance in the Community: Raceway Woods Forest Preserve: The site is located southwest of the IL 31 and Miller Road intersection and includes 122 acres of open space and recreational uses. The preserve’s name is from the Meadowdale International Raceway which previously occupied the property. The preserve was acquired in 2002 and carries an Illinois Department of Natural Resources easement. The preserve is part of a larger 366 acre complex situated in the middle of Dundee Township called "The Greater Raceway Woods". The Dundee Township Park District (DTPD) owns the western part of the Raceway Woods and FPDKC owns the natural areas in the eastern part. The preserve has been developed to provide active recreational opportunities and amenities including a parking lot, hiking, historic sites, picnic areas, shelters, biking, and horseback riding. The FPDKC manages the natural areas while the DTPD maintains the buffer parking, picnic and recreational areas. See Attachment B‐2 for an aerial map of the Raceway Woods Forest Preserve. Brunner Family Forest Preserve: The site is located along the east side of the IL 31 and includes 741 acres of open space. The preserve was acquired in 2008 by the FPDKC and includes riverfront, wetlands, fens and woodlands. The preserve is currently undeveloped, but is planned to be developed and its size increased to over 1,000 acres to provide additional facilities such as multi-purpose trail, parking lot, restroom and shelter. As part of the mitigation for the Longmeadow Parkway project, Kane County Division of Transportation (KCDOT) is acquiring and transferring 10 acres of the preserve to the DTPD for the development of sports field complex. Access to the complex will be across from Miller Road. KCDOT also intends to acquire and transfer to IDOT the frontage of the DTPD parcel to 75 feet east of the IL 31 centerline. The frontage of the dedication extends approximately 957 feet along IL 31. See Attachment B‐3 for an aerial map of the Brunner Family Forest Preserve. 3. Description of intended Section 4(f) Resource Use a. Type and Acres of Impact : Raceway Woods Forest Preserve: 0.54 acre * a. Fee Simple Acquisition: 0.10 acre for re-grading and maintenance of the roadside ditch. b. Temporary Easement: 0.44 acre for grading along IL 31. * The FPDKC requested the shared-use path along the west side of IL 31 between Commerce Parkway and Miller Road and will donate the additional 0.33 acre of temporary easement required for its construction. Brunner Family Forest Preserve: 0.97 acre a. Fee Simple Acquisition: 0.22 acre for reconstruction and maintenance of the roadway shoulder and concrete box culvert. b. Temporary Easement: 0.75 acre for grading along IL 31 to meet existing ground. 3 b. Existing Function of Impacted Acres: The impacted areas are located adjacent to IL 31 and contain open space or trees and vegetation, and are located away from recreational uses and amenities. The resulting function of the impacted areas along IL 31 would be the same as its current use. 4. Description of Efforts to Avoid, Minimize, and Mitigate or Enhance Resource a. Avoidance and minimization efforts made and benefits to resource: Roadway widening is required to construct the left turn lane and shared-use path. Shifting the alignment to avoid impacts could not be performed because the forest preserves are located along both sides of IL 31. To minimize tree removal within the heavily wooded Raceway Woods Forest Preserve and adjacent properties along the west side of IL 31, the roadway is proposed to be widened towards the open space along the east side of IL 31. To further minimize impacts within Raceway Woods Forest Preserve, the roadway ditch depth along the west side of IL 31 is proposed at only one foot, instead of three feet. The shoulders along both sides IL 31 are proposed as 8-feet wide in lieu of 10-feet. The project does not impact any areas that utilized conservation funding, such as OSLAD or LAWCON. b. Commitments for mitigation or enhancement: At the request of the FPDKC, a shared-use path is proposed along the west side of IL 31 from Commerce Parkway to Miller Road to provide a connection for pedestrians and bicyclists between the Raceway Woods Forest Preserve and Brunner Family Forest Preserve. The FPDKC will provide the connection between the proposed shared-use path and the existing trail within Raceway Wood Forest Preserve. The FPDKC is constructing an internal trail parallel to the Fox River within Brunner Family Forest Preserve in 2014, and intends to construct a link from this trail to the IL 31 and Miller Road intersection. The FPDKC is applying for a permit with IDOT to provide a crossing with flashing lights along the south leg of the IL 31 and Miller Road intersection once the link is constructed. The FPDKC will donate the additional temporary easement within Raceway Woods Forest Preserve to construct the shared-use path. Cost participation and long-term maintenance is required from FPDKC for the shared-use path. The local cost share is 20 percent of the construction cost plus a 15 percent engineering fee. The cost participation and maintenance requirements will be outlined in a Letter of Intent between IDOT and FPDKC at the end of the Phase I study. The agreement between the two parties will be prepared during Phase II. 5. Evidence of Opportunity for Public Review and Comment a. Type of public availability: A newspaper ad will be posted in the Daily Herald on July 23, 2014 and August 6, 2014 to allow the public three weeks to review and comment on the Section 4(f) impacts (See attachment E). The comment period is from July 23, 2014 to August 13, 2014. The Section 4(f) documentation will be available for viewing during the three week period at IDOT (201 W. Center Court, Schaumburg, IL 60196), at FPDKC (1996 South Kirk Road, Suite 320, Geneva, IL 4 60134) and on IDOT’s website at http://www.dot.il.gov/section_4.html. Comments can be provided at http://www.dot.il.gov/section_4.html. b. Summary of comments: TBD 6. Evidence of Coordination with Official(s) with Jurisdiction a. October 25, 2010 ............ Initiation letter to FPDKC b. December 12, 2012 ........ Meeting with FPDKC c. September 6, 2013 ......... Meeting with FPDKC and KCDOT d. September 18, 2013 ....... FHWA meeting summary with de minimis finding e. November 26, 2013 ........ Meeting with FPDKC, DTPD, KCDOT and Carpentersville f. May 14, 2014 .................. FHWA meeting summary with de minimis finding g. June 13, 2014 ................. Transmittal of Draft Section 4(f) Documentation for FPDKC review and public viewing h. July 2, 2014 .................... Letter from FPDKC i. TBD ................................ Letter to FPDKC transmitting comments from public comment period and requesting no adverse effect determination j. TBD ................................ FPDKC written concurrence with a No Adverse Effect Determination k. TBD ................................ FHWA finding of de minimis impact 7. Supporting Documentation a. Section 4(f) Impact Exhibit - Forest Preserves .......................................... Attachment A b. Regional Location Map .........................................................................Attachment B-1 c. Aerial View – Raceway Woods Forest Preserve ................................... Attachment

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