Note: This guest column also appeared as a letter in the Kane County Chronicle on February 23, 2002.
I was under the impression that this country was founded under the principle
of democracy by what the majority of the people wanted. Yet, when it comes to the "Prairie Parkway" issue,
I am tending to believe otherwise.
When the parkway issue was first presented to the public in Yorkville, strategically between the holidays, people
were given little time to respond to the idea. It was felt by many that this project was being pushed through quite
quickly, almost like being shoved down our throats. The majority of the people there had nothing good to say about
the proposed "outer belt" expressway. We were told that it wouldn't even take place for 10 to 20 years
because there was no money available to fund this project. Yet, just recently, $15 million mysteriously appeared
to help fund the project.
As I listened at this meeting and at the meeting about the Eldamain Road, people stated they wanted neither of
these roads built. They wanted the rural atmosphere they cherished left alone. Farmers did not want their fields
covered over with concrete. Some of these farms have been in their families for generations. People who moved from
the city to this area did not want the congestion and noise pollution that was available to them in their urban
settings.
Even recently in the Beacon News, the front page headline stated the public backs the "outer belt."
However, from reading the article, it appears many of the questions asked were misleading. Of the 400 respondents
who answered, I wonder how many actually knew what the "Prairie Parkway" is. Of course, everyone wants
to alleviate traffic congestion. However, the main congestion is near the cities, not in the country. The article
stated that the majority of people would support a "beltway" if it helped farmers and businesses ship
their goods in an easier manner. How helpful will the "Prairie Parkway" be when farms are divided by
a four-lane road and the farmers are forced to drive their farm equipment many unnecessary miles to get to an overpass
to simply get from one side of their farm to the other?
Just who is this "outer belt" going to benefit? Maybe it will benefit the people wanting to travel
from the Rockford area to the proposed Peotone Airport. Since the beltway is supposed to be limited access, it
will not relieve any of the traffic congestion in Kendall County and eastward. It will only bring more congestion
out westward. Why spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a new beltway when the roads we have are in dire need
of repairs? I have heard that Route 23 has a centerline already drawn up which could connect Rockford to Route
80. In addition, it was mentioned that Ridge Road has a centerline. On the other hand, Route 47, which already
runs north and south and connects to Route 80, could help alleviate traffic by making it four lanes.
Surely, there must be other alternatives that could be better researched to serve the traffic problems we currently
have. We need to protect the agricultural centers of our counties and put the road near the development in the
eastern part of the county where it really makes sense since that is where traffic congestion is. I hope and pray
that IDOT and our public politicians listen to what the majority of the people are really saying about the proposed
beltway project. They need to remember that they serve us, the public. Right now, I feel the majority of people
are against the site of the proposed "Prairie Parkway."
Please write or call your local elected officials now expressing your concerns regarding this issue before it
is too late.
Dave Braden
Newark