Roundabout Opens At Lake Villa Intersection

By LMCS Staff Report, the Lake & McHenry County Scanner

After almost three months of construction, the new roundabout at Fairfield and Monaville roads in Lake Villa has opened, officials announced.

“The roundabout at Fairfield and Monaville Road is now open! We really appreciate everyone’s patience through construction,” the Lake County Division of Transportation (LCDOT) announced Wednesday morning.

LCDOT said that final landscaping is underway and will continue as the roundabout is opened to traffic. In late August, the intersection was closed as construction began on the roundabout, county officials said.

The intersection closure was estimated to last approximately 90 days but construction finished a week and a half early.

The roundabout replaces a multi-way stop intersection, LCDOT said. As part of the project, Old Monaville Road was permanently disconnected from Monaville Road. The roundabout at the intersection had been in planning since at least 2016.

County officials identified numerous safety issues with the intersection during their initial talks for improvement.

Some of the issues included cars frequently running the stop signs, lack of pedestrian accommodations, and traffic cutting through on Old Monaville Road, leading to the cut-through traffic traveling at an excessive speed.

Lake and McHenry County Scanner is a local breaking news website covering issues that matter such as shootings, stabbings, house fires, kidnappings, car accidents, and more around Lake County and McHenry County.