With roadwork starting, Lake in the Hills waives fees to help some Randall Road businesses

Lake in the Hills is trying to help some of the businesses that will be hit by the Randall Road construction.

Randall Road widening work between McHenry Avenue in Crystal Lake and Acorn Lane/Polaris Drive in Lake in the Hills has been underway for the past several weeks.

Some Lake in the Hills businesses could be affected by the closure of Miller Road because, as part of construction, there’s going to be a six-month closure of the western leg of Miller and a three-month exit-only restriction on the eastern leg, according to Lake in the Hills documents.

Miller Road’s west leg detour is expected to run from June to November, according to the project’s website. Both the western and eastern legs for Miller Road will be right-in, right-out on Randall through August 2026, according to the project website.

While Randall Road is a county road and McHenry County is handling the construction, the Lake in the Hills Village Board Tuesday evening agreed to waive liquor license and video gaming fees for two entities east of the intersection: Dino’s Pizza and Property Owner’s Association, a neighborhood bar, banquet hall and membership group.

The move would give the entities “the ability to maintain funds for operating capital in the short term and provide relief” for upcoming economic challenges, Village Administrator Shannon Andrews told the board before the vote.

If the businesses already paid the fee, it would be refunded, Andrews said. The total value of the waivers is $2,300 for the liquor licenses and $3,700 for the video game licensing, according to village records.

Other businesses, including a chiropractor, will be affected by the construction too. Lake in the Hills has considered working with the county to provide signage to businesses too, Andrews said.

This week, Randall Road and Alexandra Boulevard in Crystal Lake will have a temporary traffic signal be activated. The signal will be permanent once Randall Road work has been completed.

Officials also plan to host a Randall Road roadwork open house later this month to provide information on plans, detours and closures. It’s scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. April 29 at Lake in the Hills Village Hall, 600 Harvest Gate.

Construction on Randall Road formally began last month and is expected to run through 2027. Work on the southern leg of Randall Road in the county was completed in 2021.