Compare Rt. 45 planning on safety

It’s no secret that Lake County agreed to pay half the cost of an $80,000.00 tunnel for a horse crossing on Hunt Club Road. This agreement was made after a private land owner initiated the proposal at his expense. In the end, Lake County agreed to foot half the bill to keep the horses off the roadway instead of having a marked horse crossing with push button flashers.

Mind you, the tunnel will be public but, you can’t access it except to trespass on private property. Money well spent?

Flash forward to the current debate over the Millburn east or west bypass. To date, $11 million (yes, $11 million) has already been spent on this project according to state Sen. Suzi Schmidt. And no dirt has been moved.

Now, taxpayers, flash back 20 years to see what you’re getting for your $11 million. That’s right, the same 20-year-old plan. Forget that since the plan’s inception, houses and schools have been built, neighborhoods and communities have formed, families have grown.

In this plan, there are no tunnels for pedestrian safety, no stoplights or crosswalks with push button lights at the proposed Rt. 45 and Haven Lane intersection, no thought to safety with a planned 45 mph speed limit through residential neighborhoods.

Wasted money and wasted time trying to convince Lindenhurst residents that going west through their neighborhoods is better than going east through farm fields.

Go to Move45East.org and see how the plans for an eastern bypass were changed. Ask the LCDOT why they would choose a disruptive and dangerous path over one through a corn field.

Ask them to straighten the Millburn Rd. and Grass Lake Rd. intersection (in both the east and west plan) saving the taxpayers millions. Forget the bypass no one wants.

Lisa Gillespie

Lindenhurst