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 Prairie 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 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.
Just whom 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 outer-belt expressway 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 westward.
Why spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a new expressway when the roads we have are in dire need of repairs?
I have heard that Route 23 has a centerline already drawn up that could connect Rockford to Interstate 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 I-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 protest 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 expressway 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