Roads of communication City, state officials discuss lights, outer belt freeway
during Elgin Day meeting
By Anne Marie Apollo
STAFF WRITER
SPRINGFIELD ó Complaints to the city about traffic problems do not fall on deaf ears.
But sometimes they do come to helpless hands.
Friday, city officials took a step toward changing that, meeting with Kirk Brown, secretary of the Illinois Department
of Transportation, to discuss problem roads under the state's control.
City council members Ruth Munson and Stuart Wasilowski, along with Police Chief William Miller and several senior
city staff members, were in Springfield for the last meeting associated with Elgin Day.
More than 200 Elginites visited the state capital Thursday, hoping to leave lawmakers and state officials with
the City to Watch on their minds.
In their meeting with Brown, city officials stressed the need to pay attention to U.S. 20 and its intersections.
Improvements and traffic signals for U.S. 20, as well as for major roadways such as Illinois 31, 19, 25, 58 and
72, are all under state control.
"First and foremost, it's a safety issue," said Dave Lawry, Elgin general services manager.
Miller told Brown that of about 450 accidents in the city last year, the majority took place on U.S. 20.
One of the city's deadliest intersections, U.S. 20 and Rose Lane, was at the top of city officials' list. The
city wants the state to put a signal at the intersection.
Other problem spots
But that isn't U.S. 20's only problem spot, city officials emphasized.
As the city expands farther west, the roadway becomes even more of a concern.
Along with the light the city wants at Rose Lane, it also wants a signal at the intersection with Weld Road ó
a possibility Brown downplayed.
"It's just not safe," he said, telling the city that people coming off U.S. 20 at high speeds may rear-end
cars stopped at the nearby light. The results could be deadly, he said. IDOT instead is recommending a signal at
Old Barn Road.
While big improvements were on their minds, city officials also talked with Brown about what small improvements
do for the city.
When features such as historical street lights go in, property values go up, Wasilowski said.
"You can't overestimate what that does for" neighborhoods, he said.
City officials learned that by 2004, there may be more federal money available for projects involving such beautification
efforts.
Prairie Parkway
Even as the group discussed restoration, they also were thinking of preservation.
The state is looking to preserve a 400-foot-wide right-of-way through Kane and Kendall counties for the proposed
Prairie Parkway.
The corridor would be a 33-mile, four-lane beltway connecting Interstate 88 and Interstate 80, with a possible
extension from Interstate 88 to Interstate 90. The proposed parkway would meet Interstate 90 west of the city.
The city supports the Prairie Parkway, also known as the outer belt freeway, but wants it to come into Interstate
90 at a more eastern point, such as Illinois 47.
Kane County Board members such as Cathy Hurlbut support the idea, city officials told Brown.
According to Brown, it doesn't matter to the state where the road goes, as long as the land is set aside.
"I don't care where it is," he said. "I think you folks need to come to an agreement locally where
you want it and we'll be happy."
In the spirit of Elgin Day and its goal of increasing communication between the city and state agencies, Brown
urged Elgin to work together with a group not represented at the city's day in the capital: the Kane County Board.
IDOT considered the plan the city favors, but set it aside at the request of the board, Brown told them.
It is important for the groups involved to reach a consensus, he said.
"If everyone disagrees, nothing will ever happen and (the land) won't be protected," he said.