Kane County has put on paper what many Gilberts drivers already treat as normal. In its August 2026 transportation status report, the Kane County Division of Transportation describes Tyrrell Road between Raymond Road and Mason Road as a "bypass route of the Randall/I-90 corridor." It also says the bypass has a safety problem built into it: two horizontal curves where drivers can't see far enough ahead.
The county's preferred fix keeps Tyrrell at two lanes and adds two roundabouts. The plan also includes a realigned Raymond Road, curb and gutter, drainage work, and new bike and pedestrian facilities. No construction date has been set, and the engineering contract behind it now runs through the end of 2029.
The County's Own Description of Tyrrell
The plan makes more sense once you see how the county describes the road. Here is how Kane County's August 2026 transportation committee packet states the purpose of the study:
"The primary objective of this Phase I engineering study is to improve safety due to lack of sight distance through two horizontal curves along this segment and safely improve operations and mobility through this bypass route of the Randall/I-90 corridor. The preferred alternative of two roundabouts addresses safety, operations and mobility concerns."
The curves are the safety issue. The bypass role is the traffic issue: Tyrrell carries drivers who are going around the Randall Road and I-90 interchange, so it has to handle more than village traffic. The KDOT project page puts the project in the southwest quadrant of that interchange and says Tyrrell is a county highway. The side streets that meet it are village streets.
That split in jurisdiction explains why a Gilberts road is being planned in a county office. Kane County owns Tyrrell. The Village of Gilberts owns Raymond Drive, Kildare Street, Welch Street and Mason Road, which are the streets the roundabouts will connect to.
What Changes Between Raymond and Mason
The study covers about 4,000 feet of Tyrrell Road south of I-90. Its limits start 1,000 feet north of Raymond Drive and end 1,000 feet south of Mason Road. The proposed design, as listed in the county's public notice in the Daily Herald, breaks down like this:
| Location | Proposed change |
|---|---|
| Tyrrell Road, full study length | Rebuilt as a two-lane road with curb and gutter |
| Tyrrell at Mason Road | New roundabout |
| Tyrrell at Raymond Road and Kildare Street | New roundabout |
| Raymond Road | Realigned |
| Along the corridor | Drainage improvements |
| Along the corridor | New bicycle and pedestrian facilities |
The lane count stays at two. Even though the county calls Tyrrell a bypass, the plan doesn't add lanes. It adds intersections that slow drivers down and make them yield, placed at the two ends of the stretch where the curves cause problems. Realigning Raymond Road fits with the roundabout planned where Raymond and Kildare meet Tyrrell. KDOT's project page also says pedestrian and bicycle accommodations are being considered across the full project limits.
KDOT says the work will likely require some land acquisition. It also says it does not expect any homes or businesses to be displaced.
The Places on Tyrrell and Its Side Streets
On a map, this is a short stretch between two intersections. For people who live in Gilberts, it's the road to a ballgame, a lesson or a meeting. The Village of Gilberts business directory and parks page list these places on Tyrrell and the side streets the county study names:
- Fraternal Order of Eagles, 325 Raymond Road, the club the county picked for its open house
- Swing Masters, 825 Tyrrell Road
- Simply Design, 670 Welch Street
- Sophia's Simple Soaps, 520 Mason Road
- Memorial Park, 355 Tyrrell Road, with a baseball diamond, basketball court, playground, pond and picnic pavilion
- Town Center Park, 301 Columbia Lane at Tyrrell Road, with a playground, splash pool, baseball diamond and open space
Town Center Park's splash pool is open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. That means Tyrrell gets summer foot traffic from families heading to the pool. The planned bike and pedestrian facilities would serve those trips too.
From Open House to Pavement Is a Long Road
The Oct. 29 open house at the Eagles club was a milestone, not a groundbreaking. The Daily Herald notice scheduled it from 5 to 7 p.m. in an informal format, with project staff on hand to review exhibits and take comments. It says the meeting was held to comply with National Environmental Policy Act requirements and the Illinois Department of Transportation's public involvement policy. The notice also calls this a federally funded project.
Here's how the project's timeline has played out in county records:
- Resolution No. 23-308. Kane County approved a Phase I engineering agreement with Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc. of Aurora and set aside $623,711 for it.
- FY2026 budget. The county's August 2025 transportation packet lists $453,041 for Tyrrell Road Phase I engineering under Fund 305, which is identified as the Transportation Sales Tax fund.
- August 2026 status report. The county named two roundabouts as the preferred alternative and set a target of fall 2026 for finishing Phase I.
- Contract extension. A county resolution moved the end date of the Crawford, Murphy & Tilly agreement from Dec. 31, 2026 to Dec. 31, 2029, to give the consultant enough time to finish the remaining work.
- Oct. 29, 2026. The public information meeting at 325 Raymond Road.
Phase I is the study and concept stage. It ends with a preferred design, and the county has already named one. Final design, land acquisition and construction come after that. The KDOT project page says the study is meant to be submitted for federal funding to move the project forward. Because the engineering contract now runs into 2029, the design stage alone could stretch over several more years. For now, the Tyrrell Road you drive to Memorial Park this month is the same road it was before the open house.
The Closest Example Is West of Batavia
Kane County has built this kind of project before. In November 2023, the county cut the ribbon on a roundabout joining Bliss Road, Main Street Road and Fabyan Parkway west of Batavia. As the Daily Herald reported, that roundabout connects to a realigned Bliss Road.
That pairing of a roundabout with a realigned road is the same approach planned for Raymond Road and Kildare Street in Gilberts. If you've driven through the Bliss Road roundabout, you already have a rough idea of how a county-built roundabout fits into a rural-to-suburban road.
Questions and Comments Go to KDOT
Tyrrell is a county road, so questions about the design go to the county, not Village Hall. The KDOT project page lists Candi Thomas, P.E., as project manager. Her direct line is (630) 406-7355 and her email is [email protected]. The Daily Herald notice also lists her as KDOT's Chief of Design. For a business on Welch Street or a household near Mason Road, that contact is the most direct way to see how the roundabouts and the Raymond Road realignment line up with a specific property.
At Zamudio Realty Group, we follow projects like the Tyrrell Road study because the roads around a home matter as much as the home. If you own near Tyrrell, Raymond, Kildare, Welch or Mason and want to know what your home is worth while this plan works its way through the county, our team is happy to help in English or Spanish. Get your free home valuation.
