It’s a rite of spring many motorists would prefer to skip: Road construction season is upon us.

Crews are already working on one of Elgin’s two major road projects this year. The Alft Lane and Randall Road intersection work is expected to continue into the summer.

Preliminary work is starting at Dundee Avenue and Summit Street, the city’s other major undertaking this year.

A slew of neighborhood streets will be resurfaced as well.

Director of Public Works Mike Pubentz said the department categorizes road construction into those that fall into the local roads program and those classified as major road projects.

Construction at the Alft Lane and Randall Road intersection will add turn lanes from Alft onto Randall and widen Randall between Alft and Interstate 90. It’s a short stretch but will help with the traffic backups the area has had, Pubentz said.

“We think it will provide some relief,” he said.

The Kane County Division of Transportation is sharing some of the project’s $1.2 million cost.

“They saw the benefit of the Randall Road widening as well. It’s a good partnership,” he said.

The biggest job of the year is the Summit Street/Dundee Avenue intersection.

“We are just starting work on that, putting up temporary signals and putting up traffic controls,” Pubentz said. “It will be a significant project. It will add turn lanes both northbound and southbound onto Dundee and realign the intersection.”

The project will be done in stages over the course of two years, Pubentz said. The goal is to have most of the concrete work done by fall, he said.

Elgin has a website for the Alft and Randall project, www.alftrandall.com, that provides information and updates. A similar website is being set up for the Dundee/Summit road project and should be launched soon, Pubentz said. Updates are also posted on Twitter.

Other projects totaling $1.7 million and funded through the Surface Transportation Board include work on Coombs Road, south of Highland Avenue; Highland Avenue between McLean Boulevard and Randall Road; and McDonald Road from Corron Road to Dittman Road.

Resurfacing work will be done on several neighborhood and collector streets, most of them in the Providence and Country Knolls subdivisions, Pubentz said.

Streets to be resurfaced in Providence are:

Settlers Parkway, from Cranston Avenue to Cookson Avenue;

Cranston Avenue, from Longcommon Parkway to Settlers Parkway;

Wayland Avenue, from Settlers Parkway to Settlers Parkway;

Red Rock Lane, from South Street to Weymouth Avenue;

Weymouth Avenue, from Copper Springs Lane to Chalkstone Avenue;

Copper Springs Lane, from Weymouth Avenue to South Street.

In the Country Knolls subdivision, the roads being done are:

Country Knoll Lane, from Westgate Drive to Lyle Avenue;

McKinstry Drive, from Vernon Drive to Country Knoll Lane;

Vernon Drive, from William Drive to McKinstry Drive;

William Drive, from Vernon Drive to Country Knoll Lane;

Knollwood Drive, from Brookside Drive to William Drive;

Oakmont Drive, from Knollwood Drive to Country Knoll Lane;

Tara Drive, from Knollwood Drive to Knollwood Drive;

Westgate Drive, from Knollwood Drive to Country Knoll Lane;

Aronomink Circle, from Muirfield Circle to Annandale Circle.

Other streets scheduled for the work are on the East Side:

Franklin Street, from Hill Avenue to North Liberty Street;

Ann Street, from Hill Avenue to North Liberty Street;

Hill Avenue, from Park Street to Summit Street;

Iroquois Drive, from Hiawatha Drive to Congdon Avenue;

Hiawatha Drive, from Summit Street to Iroquois Drive;

Hiawatha Court, from Hiawatha Drive to west and east cul-de-sacs;

Hunter Drive, from Waverly Drive to Summit Street;

Pegwood Drive, from Hunter Drive to Leawood Drive;

Leawood Court, from Leawood Drive to the east cul-de-sac.

The local roads program is the type of construction that hits close to home for residents and is often welcomed.

“It impacts (residents) directly,” Pubentz said. “It’s where people live.”

Elgin is investing $7 million in the program with funding from the Motor Fuel Use Tax revenues and Rebuild Illinois, a program in which the state invests $25.4 billion for improvements to its roads and bridges over a six-year period. The program is in its fifth year.

What advice does Pubentz have for drivers while the work is underway?

“Plan ahead,” he said. “If there’s other routes to take, you might want to consider that.

“(Traffic jams are) an unfortunate part of road construction. We do our best to keep things safe and keep things moving, but there will be backups. Please be patient.”

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.