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IDOT Cuts Most Planned Funds for Prairie Parkway

llinois Department of Transportation has quietly removed most funding for the proposed Prairie Parkway from its six-year Highway Improvement Program including all money designated to begin actual construction.  It has also modestly increased the planned funding for Illinois 47 widening from south of Yorkville to Sugar Grove.

Meanwhile, Congressman Bill Foster is readying legislation for shift federal funds designated for the Prairie Parkway to improvements and expansion of Illinois 47 between I-80 and I-88.  The 2005 federal transportation bill included earmarks totaling $207 million for the proposed Prairie Parkway -- which carries a total cost of about $1 billion.  According to IDOT, about $37 million of the federal earmarks has been spent for land acquisition and engineering as of April of this year.

According to a May 20, 2009, Daily Herald story:

"The state's plan did not identify money for two significant suburban projects - extending Route 53 north of Lake Cook Road and the Prairie Parkway, which would stretch from I-88 to I-80 in Kane, Kendall and Grundy counties.

"Concerning the Prairie Parkway, [IDOT Secretary Gary] Hannig noted that "it is a growing area and there's a lot of congestion. There needs to be some solution to the problem."

"But because of litigation and lack of a local consensus, IDOT is holding back on funding."

The Highway Improvement Program, updated each year, is the budget blueprint for highway projects in the next six years.

The 2010-2015 Highway Improvement Program, announced May 20, includes just $2.4 million for preliminary engineering and land acquisition for the Prairie Parkway in Fiscal Year 2010 which begins July 1, 2009.  All construction funding has been omitted. 

The previous year's highway improvement program included $207.5 million for the Prairie Parkway -- $16 million for land acquisition in FY 2009 and the rest for engineering and construction in the future.

The new six-year program finally begins to address improvements to Illinois 47 with $3 million for land acquisition to widen Illinois 47 through Yorkville (engineering work is essentially completed) and $2.6 million for engineering work for improving sections of the highway between Caton Farm Road south of Yorkville and Sugar Grove.  (Last year's version of the six-year plan had just $1.5 million for engineering work.)

More links Prairie Parkway Corridor Details and Map Dennis Hastert's New Rural Sanctuary Stop 158 - A web site opposing a beltway through rural areas in Illinois near St. Louis. Hastert's $2 million profit from land deals In December 2005, just five months after he secured $207 million in federal funds for the Prairie Parkway, House Speaker Dennis Hastert sold 138 acres of land near the highway route, netting him a $2 million profit on land held for three years or less.  See additional details in Prairie Parkway News Coverage and in a Report prepared by the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington DC based Congressional watchdog organization. Another watchdog group on 2006 called for a Department of Justice investigation of Hastert's land dealings and highway "earmarks." See the details at the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington website. Five Townships Vote  'No' on Prairie Parkway Voters in three Kendall County townships - Fox, Lisbon, and Seward - voted against the  the proposed Prairie Parkway in the February 5 primary election.  These three rural townships would be most affected by the proposed 37-mile freeway from I-80 to I-88.  72 percent of Lisbon voters, 65 percent of Fox voters and 58 percent of Seward voters said they oppose the construction of the proposed $1 billion freeway.  The advisory referenda send a clear message to Illinois legislators. In April 2007 voters in two Kane County townships to the north strongly rejected the Prairie Parkway.  In Big Rock Township the vote was 88 percent against the proposed freeway and in Kaneville Township 81 percent voted their opposition.

Subscribe to Sprawlway e-mail list 47+ Coalition Seeks Sensible Highway Solutions Citizens Against the Sprawlway has joined 10 other groups in the 47+ Coalition to promote improvements to Illinois  47 and the local highway infrastructure. The coalition has urged IDOT to reopen its Prairie Parkway study to include Illinois 47, the first step to tapping up to $207 million in federal funds for expanding Illinois 47 instead of building the Prairie Parkway. 47+ web site - Coalition Letter to IDOT In its Fall 2006 issue, Chicago Wilderness magazine published a special report on the environmental threat of new highways, focusing on the Prairie Parkway. Read online at Chicago Wilderness Magazine website Download pdf version of article

Grand Prize - Raymond Silva Foggy Cornfield South of Plano

What We'd Lose - Prairie Parkway Photo Contest Winners Grand Prize -Raymond Silva, Yorkville First Place, Agriculture - John Farrell, Batavia First Place, Environment - Joan Soltwisch, Minooka First Place, Rural Life - Raymond Silva, Yorkville First Place, Youth - Brianna Yepsen, Newark Honorable Mention - Kimberly Strom, DeKalb View winning images