Speed limit reductions on McHenry County roads OK’d

Drivers on three stretches of McHenry County roads will be required to slow down heading into the colder months after the McHenry County Board voted to pass three speed limit reductions on county roads.

The board voted Tuesday night to approve speed limit reductions at:

Charles Road between Route 47 and Route 120/Greenwood Road north of Woodstock . The speed limit was 55 mph and now will be 50 mph. Main Street from Wilmot Road to State Park Road in and near Spring Grove . The speed limit was 45 mph and now will be 40 mph. Ridgefield Road from Country Club Road to Route 14 near Crystal Lake . The speed limit was 55 mph and now will be 45 mph. As part of new rules the board approved in July, all speed limit changes have to go before the full County Board for a vote. Before, it would be the end of the road for any speed limit change that received a negative recommendation at the Transportation Committee.

Tuesday's batch of speed limit reductions were the first ones since the new rules were implemented.

The Transportation Committee had voted against the Charles Road speed limit reduction, so it went before the full board with the negative recommendation noted. The full County Board voted 10-8 to override the Transportation Committee and approve the speed limit reduction.

The speed limit reduction on Charles Road comes in advance of construction work and intersection improvements in the corridor. The county created a website with information about the Charles Road work, charlesroadcorridor.com.

The County Board did not discuss the speed limit reductions but voted on each of them individually. The Main Street reduction passed 14-4. The Ridgefield Road reduction passed 15-3.