THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
TO PRESENT PRAIRIE PARKWAY TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES EVALUATION
Ottawa, Ill. – The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will
hold two public information meetings on May 10 and 11 to present the
evaluation results of the potential alternatives to address the
transportation challenges in northeastern Illinois. This is the latest
step in the Prairie Parkway Preliminary Engineering Study. The meetings
will be open house format, with a question and answer session at each
meeting.
IDOT received approximately 150 transportation improvement suggestions
during numerous meetings with the public, elected officials and
stakeholder groups throughout the study area. These suggestions were
used to develop a wide range of transportation alternatives, including
the widening of existing arterial streets, new freeways, transit
improvements, and smaller scale improvements, including traffic signal
coordination and carpooling. At the May meetings, IDOT will present the
initial evaluation results that assess how well they address the four
main parts of the purpose and need statement:
- Improve regional mobility
- Address local system deficiencies
- Improve access from the study area to regional jobs
- Improve safety
In addition, IDOT has evaluated the potential environmental impacts of
these transportation alternatives.
At these meetings, IDOT is seeking feedback from the public on the
evaluation of these transportation alternatives. “This is a significant
step in the Prairie Parkway Transportation Study,” said Gregg Mounts,
IDOT’s Deputy Director of Highways. “The evaluations performed will
enable people to judge for themselves which transportation alternatives
seem to be the most effective. We are looking forward to hearing the
public’s opinions on these alternatives, because it will help us take
the next step to develop just a small set of recommended transportation
improvements to study in more detail.”
The Transportation System Performance Report released in March 2004
revealed that three counties in the study area are ranked on the list of
100 fastest growing counties in the United States from 2000 to 2003
according to the U.S. Census Bureau: Kendall (#10), Will (#33) and Kane
(#75). By 2030, the population in the study area is expected to double.
The entire Transportation System Performance Report is available for
viewing at
www.prairie-parkway.com.
“IDOT has performed a comprehensive, balanced analysis on these
transportation concepts,” said Mounts. “Public involvement has been and
will continue to be crucial to this process. We are evaluating the
concepts that incorporate the ideas given to us at the public workshops
and many stakeholder meetings. We now want to hear what the public says
about the evaluation findings for their suggestions.”
The two public information meetings will be held at:
- Tuesday, May 10, 2005
- 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
- Kaneland John Shields Elementary School
- 85 South Main Street
- Sugar Grove, Illinois
- Wednesday, May 11, 2005
- 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
- White Oak Elementary School
- 2001 Dupont Avenue
- Morris, Illinois
The public is invited and encouraged to attend at any time during the
public information meetings. In the open houses, the public will be able
to watch a recorded presentation, review exhibits and discuss the study
with representatives from IDOT. In addition, a presentation by IDOT
representatives and a question and answer session will start at 6:30
p.m. each night.
Both public meeting sites are accessible to persons with disabilities.
If special accommodations are needed, please contact IDOT’s office at
815-434-8435, or TTY 815-434-8510.
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