Survey says Meacham Road residents support three lanes, not five
Residents living near Meacham Road who responded to a survey prefer the road be widened to three lanes, not five, Rolling Meadows officials say.
About 65 percent of responding residents near the controversial Meacham Road project support widening the tree-lined road to three lanes.
The Rolling Meadows City Council could discuss the survey results at a Jan. 21 meeting.
Results are included in the information for the council's meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 14. They are available at ci.rolling-meadows.il.us/
Mayor Tom Rooney said Monday the Jan. 21 agenda is very full and whether the survey discussion will be bumped or not will be decided Tuesday, Jan. 14.
The Illinois Department of Transportation at one point recommended expanding the lane to as wide as five lanes, bringing adamant protests from area residents.
More recently, IDOT officials have said three lanes are feasible.
Rooney opposes widening the road more than three lanes. He expects the council to approve three lanes.
Over the years residents near Meacham Road have strongly opposed changing the roadway.
Some aldermen have expressed concerns about the $125,000 the city would spend for a Phase 1 engineering study, which would deal with issues such as whether any homeowners' land would be needed.
Fred Vogt, director of public works, has said if any land beyond the current right of way is needed, it will probably be only at intersections.
During the first week of December, the survey was distributed to three groups. One mailing went to 190 addresses within 500 feet of Meacham/Plum Grove Road whether in the city, Schaumburg or unincorporated Palatine Township. Of those, 146 responded to a question about a three-lane road, with 96 saying they support that plan.
The second group was 500 drivers traveling Meacham Road. Eighty-six of the 138 answering this question supported three lanes.
The third group is 190 Rolling Meadows residents with mailing addresses between 500 and 1,000 feet from the street. Only 20 responded to this question, with nine approving three lanes.
Officials say the road needs rebuilding as well as the addition of a left-turn lane to improve traffic flow.
IDOT has offered to pay about $2.6 million of the approxinatelt $7.5 million project, and a federal grant would cover $4.7 million.
Rolling Meadows and Schaumburg would pay the rest and be responsible for future maintenance.
Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg and Palatine Township have jurisdiction over the land along the route of Meacham/Plum Grove Road between Emerson Avenue and Algonquin Road.
Vogt has said Schaumburg would probably be responsible for maintenance on the Salt Creek bridge, and state funds are usually available to help repair this type of road.