Couldn't be more apart on 30-year toll bridge plan
Two things illustrate the incredible disconnect between foes and supporters of the Longmeadow Parkway.
1. The scope of the project. An opposition flyer shows massive trucks bearing down on clueless politicians and unsuspecting children. That's a bit much, says Algonquin Village President John Schmitt; the reality is a divided four-lane parkway with a tree-lined median, a 40-mph speed limit and about a third the traffic of parallel Algonquin Road, which connects the villages of Algonquin and Huntley.
2. Who said what to whom and when. Residents, especially those living near the expansion, insist they've heard nary a word about the project until recently, that they were blindsided by it only after it popped up in the news of late. Even those who acknowledge the parkway's long history say that's a good reason to discount its viability today: The area was farmland when envisioned 30 years ago; today houses and schools abound on either side of what is a fairly quiet two-lane thoroughfare. But in a detailed piece this spring by staff writer Jim Fuller, government officials said more than 100 official meetings about the parkway were hosted; studies, all shared in public, detailed environmental impacts, financial feasibility and traffic congestion. Numerous votes were taken by several governments.
It would be easy to dismiss the late-breaking objections as NIMBYISM, but an issue that's been around this long does have some nuance.
• A toll bridge is a key component to the project, certainly the first of its type in a residential area. To cross the Fox River, drivers could pay up to $1.50. Is the time saved on the new shortcut going to be worth it to all potential users?
• As for the no-knowledge-of-this-project argument, many homeowners in proximity to the Longmeadow project signed "Letter of Awareness" disclaimers at their house closings that they were aware a widening of the road was on the drawing board. This dates back as far as 1996. Some acknowledged the disclaimer in Fuller's story, but also said they were told by real estate agents the project had been on the drawing board forever and was unlikely to happen.
• The horse is well out of the barn. What are the chances the $30 million already spent on engineering is going to be abandoned?
• What is government's responsibility in letting the people affected by a project know about it? Door-to-door fliers informing all of the aforementioned public meetings? Algonquin's Schmitt said he found 85 stories in the Daily Herald on the topic.
And finally, what level of input should the public have on this, especially at this stage of the game?
Schmitt, state Sen. Karen McConnaughay and state Rep. Mike Tryon met with Fuller and Jim Slusher, our assistant managing editor for the Opinion page, a few days ago and asked our editorial board this past week to re-endorse the project. They characterized the opposition as vocal, but well short of those who favor Longmeadow. So then, Fuller asked, what about a Kane Countywide referendum, as was suggested, then dropped, more than two years ago?
Such a vote might seem the height of democracy, but it's a "slippery slope," McConnaughay noted. "Once you do that, does that require you to put it to a public vote every time you make an infrastructure investment?"
Either way, one segment of the population will get an official say on the matter. An advisory referendum will appear on the March 2016 ballot in Dundee Township, which encompasses the Longmeadow area.
Even if the vote is significantly against the project, there's a good chance construction will have started.
jdavis@dailyherald.com