Elgin Courier-News
December 5, 2006
• State wants input: Public meetings set this week in Yorkville, Morris
By HEATHER GILLERS STAFF WRITER
YORKVILLE -- Illinois transportation officials are urging area
residents to participate in one of two public meetings this week on the
proposed Prairie Parkway.
The state is expected to begin work as early as 2009 on the at least $1
billion, four-lane highway, which would connect Interstate 88 in Kane
County with Interstate 80 in Grundy County. Officials are seeking
residents' opinions on which of two proposed routes would most benefit
the affected communities.
"The locals know this area better than anybody," said Jason Poppen of
Smith Engineering Consultants in Yorkville, who is working on the
project.
Both routes would begin near Kaneville, but one route, B-2, would run
straight south, ending near Morris, while route B-5 would run south to
Hughes Road near Yorkville, then swing east before running south again
to end near Minooka. Both proposed routes have planned interchanges at
U.S. 30, 34, Illinois 71 and Illinois 52, and B-5 would have a fifth
interchange at Illinois 47.
The state has not ruled out the option of not building a parkway at all.
The meetings -- the last public gatherings before officials make their
final decision -- will be Wednesday at Yorkville Intermediate School,
103 Schoolhouse Road (Illinois 126), Yorkville, and Thursday at White
Oak Elementary School Gym, 2001 Dupont Ave., Morris. They are set for
5:30 to 8 p.m. both days.
Officials will present maps of the two routes, which have been revised
since the spring with an eye toward reducing the highway's impact on
farmland, historical landmarks and the environment.
They will answer written questions submitted by the public, and
citizens' spoken comments will be transcribed and included in a report
produced by the state. A Spanish translator will be present at the
hearing.
After the hearing, residents can continue to submit written comments
until Jan. 16 by sending them to Diane O'Keefe, Regional Engineer,
District 3, 700 E. Norris Drive, Ottawa, IL 61350.
Then what?
The state Department of Transportation is expected to make a final decision on the parkway's preferred route in early 2007.
By summer, Powell said, officials will issue a report detailing their
final plans for that route and addressing all public comments,
questions and concerns. A variety of federal and state agencies with
jurisdiction over natural resources and wildlife must sign off on the
report before it goes to the Federal Highway Administration for final
approval.
Work on the portion of the road connecting U.S. 30 west of Sugar Grove
to Illinois 71 southwest of Yorkville could begin in 2009.