Some call for expanded buffers between road and homes
SUN CITY – Sun City and the Village of Huntley have so far avoided butting up closely against each other.
But the Kreutzer Road improvement project has brought the senior community and municipality very close together this summer. A few residents in Neighborhood 7 are concerned that a major new arterial roadway being built right behind their homes could bring traffic and noise problems to their backyards.
In mid-July, the village began construction of a new segment of Kreutzer Road, linking existing sections together between Route 47 and Main Street. More than a decade ago, one section of Kreutzer was built to provide access to the Lions Chase subdivision south of Main Street, and the other was improved east of Route 47, providing access to an industrial park and other residential areas to the east.
The connection project has been on the drawing boards for many years, but funding for the $4.1 million project was not developed until last year. The new roadway will extend from Lions Gate south and east to the Kreutzer-Route 47 intersection next to the Walgreen’s shopping center.
The work includes a bridge over the south branch of the Kishwaukee River, storm water basins, a pond for flood control, a wetlands area, a bike path along the north and east sides of the roadway, and intersection improvements at Route 47 and Kreutzer. According to one village spokesperson, the project will be completed in two phases this November and early next year.
Before the work began in July, the village’s Engineering Department delivered a letter to residents on Tuliptree Lane, describing the project.
“The Village is committed to minimizing any inconveniences associated with this project and we thank you in advance for your patience,” the letter said. “If you have questions or concerns during the course of the project, please contact [our] construction representative.”
At the north end of the connection, the roadway will be 75 feet or less from the edge of backyards at three homes on the east side of Tuliptree. The road and yards are separated by two parallel berms, one of which was constructed by Del Webb when Sun City was built in the ’90s and the other is being constructed by the village. Trees have been planted along the original berm and more are planned by the village on the other berm.
All of this has prompted the neighborhood to ask the village to expand buffers on the north end of the project, and the village has reportedly agreed to consider the resident requests.
Neighborhood 7 resident Jim Rice has become a spokesperson for his neighborhood.
“We have been told the roadway is expected to carry several thousand vehicles a day, including trucks, on Kreutzer, and we are concerned about the noise this would create,” Rice said. “We have submitted a petition signed by many of our residents to the village, and the association management team, First Residential Services, has promised to help us liaison with the village. We have been told the village will consider this. The road is elevated several feet above the natural slope of the land, and traffic will be visible to several homes. The trees and berms will help some, but not entirely.”
Discussions among residents, association officials, and the village were tentatively scheduled to take place this week.
Village officials say the connection is designed to divert traffic (especially Huntley High School buses) away from the intersection of Main Street and Route 47, one of the most congested locations in the community.
One Tuliptree resident expressed concern about traffic noise in the community. An inspection of his backyard by this reporter showed the road will pass within 75 feet of the edge of his backyard.
Rev. Jack Haraty, who lives near the north end of Tuliptree closer to the roadway, said he wasn’t worried.
“I know it’s coming close, but I don’t have any problem with it,” he said. “But I have heard that some other residents are concerned about it.”
