Montgomery County Approves Plains Solar Road Use Agreement for Witt Project

Montgomery County Board Meeting | June 9, 2026

Article Summary: The Montgomery County Board on June 9 approved a road use agreement with Plains Solar, LLC, covering about 5.3 miles of county road for construction access to a solar farm near Witt. The agreement caps weight at 80,000 pounds, requires a $1 million surety bond and fines unauthorized road use $500 per occurrence.

Plains Solar Road Use Agreement Key Points:

• The agreement covers approximately 5.3 miles of county road path for construction access.
• The project is at PIN 12-04-100-001, with an approximate address of 14088 Witt Avenue, Witt.
• Plains Solar must post a $1,000,000 surety bond before construction begins.
• A safety concern about the entrance point will be addressed by installing a mirror during construction.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — The Montgomery County Board on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, approved a road use agreement between Plains Solar, LLC, and the county governing construction traffic on roughly 5.3 miles of county road path near Witt.

Roads & Bridges Committee Chairman Ethan Murzynski moved to approve the agreement, with a second by Patty Whitworth. All were in favor. Copies were directed to Resolution Book 23, pages 294-302.

Murzynski told the board that a concern that the entrance point may pose a safety concern will be addressed by installing a mirror during the construction phase.

Road use agreements typically govern how a developer may use and must repair local roads during construction.

The agreement in the board packet identifies Plains Solar, LLC, as an Illinois limited liability company and describes the project as a solar farm at PIN 12-04-100-001 with an approximate address of 14088 Witt Avenue, Witt, IL 62094. It was signed April 30, 2026, by Jacob Carney, listed as authorized signatory; the county signature line for Chairman Doug Donaldson is blank in the packet copy.

The agreement sets a maximum weight limit of 80,000 pounds on Witt Avenue and Irving Road. The county will permit access to the solar farm from Witt Avenue, with the exact access location to be determined in a final design approved by the county engineer. Plains Solar must provide the county engineer with the final design of the type, size and location of the entrance culvert and entrance road at least 14 days before beginning construction.

Plains Solar is responsible for damage to Witt Avenue, Irving Road or other county roads directly resulting from construction, and must pay for repairs to restore the roads to their prior condition. The county engineer determines the nature of required repairs and provides an itemized invoice, payable within 30 days. Use of the Witt Avenue and Irving Road rights of way as storage, staging or parking areas is prohibited.

Before construction begins, Plains Solar must provide the county financial security in the form of one surety bond in the amount of $1,000,000, issued by a bank or other financial entity rated AA or better. The bond must remain in place from 30 days before construction begins until one year after the project is completed, with the completion date defined as the date the entire project is placed into service.

Insurance requirements include $2,000,000 in combined single limit automobile liability coverage and $10,000,000 per occurrence and in the aggregate in commercial general liability coverage, with the county and its officers, employees and elected officials named as additional insureds.

Construction traffic — defined to include workers traveling to and from any job site in vehicles weighing five tons or more — must use only the designated routes except temporarily in an emergency. If an unauthorized vehicle uses a non-designated county road, the county may impose a fine of $500 per occurrence, payable within 30 days, though the first occurrence draws a warning to the vehicle’s operator.

An exhibit maps the preliminary access route running along County Road 1800 N and E 9600 Road from Illinois Route 16. A typical entrance detail calls for a 12-inch CA-6 aggregate surface, a culvert of metal or HDPE at least 30 feet long, and grading to a maximum 8% slope.

The minutes and packet do not state whether Plains Solar is related to any other renewable energy entity appearing in Montgomery County coverage.