Home | News Index | Southern Link | Northern Link | How to Oppose | Kane 2020 Plan | Kendall Plan
Kane County Chronicle
March 6, 2002
 |
McCoy based his alignment on the so-called Route 56 extension. The road avoids houses and environmentally sensitive areas, while staying close to boundary agreements established by Aurora and the villages of Sugar Grove and Montgomery.
"My definition of compromise is everybody gives a little and not everybody is happy," McCoy said.
Under McCoy's proposal, the beltway would run south through Kane and then due west in Kendall County to meet up with the Illinois Department of Transportation's preferred corridor.
IDOT has shown the outer beltway would serve regional traffic traveling from the northwest to the southeast trying to get around the Chicago area.
County studies show local traffic traveling the opposite direction, from the growing areas near Yorkville toward Aurora.
"What you have is a conflict of local needs versus regional need. This proposal addresses both of them," McCoy said "The farther east you move it, the more effect it has on local traffic."
Although the public comment period on the state's proposed corridor has closed, IDOT will consider McCoy's compromise with all the other comments.
"If they send it to us, we'll go ahead and review it," said Dick Adorjan, IDOT's director of public affairs.
McCoy's plan drew praise from U.S. Speaker Dennis Hastert's office.
"We're pleased to see the chairman is embracing the concept of the parkway,"
said Brad Hahn, Hastert's press secretary.
Hastert has long endorsed the outer beltway concept, but he will leave the siting decisions to local officials,
Hahn said.
At a meeting last week, representatives from Montgomery and Sugar Grove said they opposed the Route 56 extension because it traveled through land earmarked for residential development.
Taken together, the two towns have plans for subdivisions that would include 5,000 homes.
"Our board's position is pretty clear," said Scott Buening, Sugar Grove's community development director. "We'd like it to be on the western side of the village."
The Chronicle was unable Tuesday to reach officials in Montgomery for comment.
McCoy said his alignment attempts to follow agreed-upon borders between the municipalities to minimize the impact on development.
He said he recognized the two villages were opposed to the eastern beltway. He also said 5,000 homes in that area would burden the Kaneland School District.
If the beltway were built in that area, it would invite economic development without adding students to the school district, he said.
McCoy's alignment avoids two bridges over Big Rock Creek, which he said would
save money.
"What this does is kind of sneaks in between two watersheds," McCoy said.