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Daily Herald
December 12, 2001

By Alicia Fabbre
Daily Herald Staff Writer

Plans for an expressway in western Kane County to link routes 80 and 88 are drawing mixed reaction from residents.

More than 800 people from Kane, Grundy and Kendall counties looked at maps and talked to state officials during a public hearing Tuesday in Yorkville. Illinois Department of Transportation officials hosted the hearing as part the process of officially laying claim to the land for future use.

Some, like Blanca Souder of Kaneville, were dead against the project. The road would cut the Souder family farm - off Harter Road and Main Street - in two.

"This is my kids' farm," she said, noting the 150 acres have been in her husband's family for four generations. "There's no one in Kaneville that will use this road. The only reason for building it is politics."

Souder and her husband, Roger, plan to join others in Kaneville in a petition drive against the road.

But other residents welcomed the expressway plan.

"I think it's about time," said Ralph Russell, who has a 225-acre farm in Blackberry Township north of Kaneville. "It's way overdue."

He won't lose land to the road, but his farm is less than a mile from the proposed expressway.

Russell criticized Kane County Board members for considering a resolution against the expressway.

"They're near-sighted," he said. "This is excellent. It's going to hurt people, but ultimately something like this is needed."

Earlier Tuesday, county board members delayed a vote on the resolution.
Several board members said they want more information before taking a stance on the issue.

Some board members argued against the resolution, saying it could limit communication with state officials and hinder efforts to make sure other issues - like limited access off the expressway - are addressed.

"We don't have to support it, but I feel we owe it to our constituency to stay involved," said Karen Steve-McConnaughay, who heads the board's transportation committee and attended the state's public hearing.

Board Chairman Mike McCoy, who also attended, said he will ask state officials to attend a county meeting to explain the project.

"We're willing to meet with people to explain," said James Jereb, an IDOT engineer.

McCoy opposes the project, saying it does not fit with county plans to preserve farmland and open space in western Kane County. He also says the location of the road - away from existing development - would do little to alleviate traffic on county roads.

McCoy rebuffed concerns that the resolution would limit communication with state and federal officials. "We have a strong voice on land use issues," he said. "They will listen to us."

County board members will discuss the issue at an executive committee meeting Thursday. McCoy expects the full board to discuss it again on Jan. 8.

State transportation officials noted Tuesday that there is no funding to build the road. However, state officials want to record the 400-foot wide path of the route to ensure the land is available when they decide to build the road.

By doing so, the route would be recorded on the deeds of affected land and landowners will be required to contact IDOT officials if any changes are made to the land.

State officials also have studied a 21-mile extension of the route that would run through Kane County and end at Interstate 90. However, they have said that project has not been studied in more than a year and funding is not available for additional studies or to build it. There are no immediate plans to record that route's path.

IDOT officials will accept written comments on the 33-mile route of the expressway that runs through Kane, Kendall and Grundy counties until Jan. 11. Written comments can be mailed to the Illinois Department of Transportation, 700 E. Norris Drive, Ottawa, IL 61340.