Morris Daily Herald
July 14, 2005
Comments still coming
By Jo Ann Hustis
Herald Writer
OTTAWA &emdash; Siting options for the proposed Prairie Parkway continue to incite public comment beyond the cutoff date, a state official said Wednesday.
Two weeks past the official deadline of June 30, some people and entities are still making their preferences clear on where the proposed link be-tween Interstate 80 and Interstate 88 should go, noted Rick Powell, project engineer with District 3, Illinois Department of Transportation.
And that's OK, he said.
"We'll receive comments at any time. If they come in late before we make a decision on the alternative &emdash; the cutdown number &emdash; they may still hold weight when we make the final decision," he said.
"So it's a good idea, even though the comment came in late, that for someone with a position to get something in to us, because it might influence the ultimate decision, if not the interim decision."
The interim decision is slated for unveiling during another round of public information meetings in late summer or early fall, Powell said.
Dates for the announcement are still to be set, he said.
The Prairie Parkway proposal is an approximately 36-mile length of highway designed to link the two interstates either in or west of Grundy County, depending on the final location selected.
The focus of the parkway is to move traffic north and south in the northeastern part of Illinois.
The movement of traffic east and west is basically sufficient at present, Powell noted during a meeting on April 28 in Yorkville, when nine alternates to the original proposed corridor were announced. The original, protected corridor would make the link about three miles west of Minooka.
By law, the agency must consider alternates to the protected corridor. With the addition of six more alternates since April, IDOT has routed 15 alternates from the approximately 150 suggestions submitted during public hearings last year.
Powell, however, did not commit Tuesday to the number of alternates IDOT will announce during the forthcoming round of public hearings.
"We could possibly choose two or three alternate routes," he said. "It's possible we could be down to one, or it might be possible we still have several."
Powell said merit still exists in both the east and west alternates.
"We've also heard a lot of negative sentiment towards the B2 alignment from the people who live in that area," he said. "That's natural."
The B2 alignment would extend through the Scott School Road area about four miles west of Morris.
The B5 protected corridor would provide for the entrance and exit onto I-80 just west of Ridge Road and the proposed Brisbin Road interchange, about three miles west of Minooka.
"We didn't hear a lot of public comment from those people affected by the eastern routes, like Yorkville and Oswego. We heard a lot of municipal comment, though, like from Oswego and Montgomery, which are dead set against any of the alignments that came through their area," Powell said.
"We heard a lot from the municipalities, but not a whole lot from the residents. I really can't tell you why. There's a lot of small tract property owners there."
He thought it odd IDOT did not hear much comment from developers in the Oswego and Montgomery areas and on north.
"On the other hand, whether someone chooses or not chooses to make comment, or if they even heard about it, we try to get the word out," he said.
"A lot of people may not be aware there's an alternate proposed in their backyard. We try to get the word out, but sometimes people don't get it."
IDOT has endorsements and resolutions on alternates from several entities, including the Kendall County Board and the villages of Channahon, Millbrook, Yorkville and Sugar Grove, Powell said.
Not from the Grundy County Board yet, nor from the city of Morris, although he said IDOT understands both entities are working on resolutions and/or endorsements.
"We hear they're working on things, but we haven't as of yet heard anything formal from Grundy County, Morris or the village of Minooka," he said.
The Grundy County Board's Highway and Planning and Zoning committees are working on a position statement, with full anticipation the board will renew support for the original route &emdash; the protected corridor, it was noted during the regular monthly board meeting Tuesday evening.
Minooka Mayor Jason Briscoe indicated during the monthly village council meeting Tuesday evening the community supported the B5 route.
Briscoe said the B2 (Scott School) alternative appeared to offer very little, if any, economic impact to Minooka.
"Our support is certainly for the one we feel is the best for Minooka," he said at the meeting.
The Kendall County Board endorsed the B5 Route on June 21, as did the village of Millbrook on June 28, and the village of Channahon on July 5.
The Kendall County resolution was not unanimous, Powell noted.
"Some of the people there said they'd be more supportive if, where the alternate crosses the Fox River west of Yorkville, it were to go east as soon as possible, rather than come down so far south before it crosses over," he said.
"There seems to be some sort of interest in an alternative alignment to B5 in that it not go so far south before it goes east,"
The Kane County Board sent IDOT a letter on June 17, in which the board did not exactly endorse a route, but did endorse IDOT's process in making the selection, Powell said.
"They recommended whatever we build in the area was designed as a transportation corridor, not an economic development corridor, which is kind of opposite of what we're getting in the southern end," he added.
"There's several environmental features they want us to be mindful of protecting, also agricultural preservation desires. Also, they want to continue working with us."
Powell said IDOT has received letters from the mayors of both Yorkville and Sugar Grove.
"Sugar Grove likes the alignment of the recorded (protected) corridor," he said. "Yorkville said they could see merit in both B2 and B5. They said they could see a little more merit in B5, which connects near Minooka."