Chicago Tribune
June 22, 2004
Transit study allows input as it enters 2nd phase
By William Presecky
Tribune staff reporter
Published June 22, 2004
For the first time in planning for future state roads, the Illinois Department of Transportation invited the public
to sit down last week and suggest ways to avoid congestion along Chicago's far western fringe.
The "alternatives workshops," which were held in Yorkville at about the center of the 1,600-square-mile,
six-county area the agency is considering, were part of the Prairie Parkway Study.
IDOT is about a year and half into the $18 million study to evaluate and address the area's transportation needs.
The multiphase study, which began in 2003, is expected to take another four years to complete, according to Rick
Powell, IDOT project manager. The workshops marked the start of the study's second phase.
Parts of the study area, in which 85 percent of the highway network is composed of two-lane roads, are changing
from rural agriculture to residential and commercial development and more growth is projected by 2030.
Some suggestions included putting bypasses around Aurora and Yorkville, extending commuter rail further west and
widening major arteries such as Illinois Highway 47 and U.S. Highway 34.
Powell said the workshops were constructive. "This is really the first time we tried to do workshops like
these so we're kind of in uncharted territory," he said. "But we were very pleased with the number of
alternatives that were presented and the variety."
Jan Strasma, a spokesman for Citizens Against the Sprawlway, a group opposed to a major freeway through the area,
also praised the suggestions.
"What we need is a system of diverse transportation routes to move people from northern and eastern Kendall
County to their jobs in Kane and DuPage Counties," said Strasma.
"Focusing on improvements to existing highways and county roads and working with the municipalities to improve
the flow of traffic through the area may not be the easiest approach, but it would be the most effective,"
he said. "Throwing money at one big project may be simpler, but the area will benefit more from the careful
planning needed for a diverse transportation solution."
The next step in the process, according to Powell, will be to narrow the list of alternatives and perform an analysis
of them. The team will evaluate whether the options address local roadway deficiencies and improve safety, regional
mobility and access to regional jobs.
Detailed engineering and environmental studies will be performed on the alternatives considered the best.