Tollway endangers 'exceptional' county

Lake County TV ads encourage the general public to come "boat in Lake County." Clearly the aquatic resource in the county is "exceptional" and is important for drinking, swimming, boating, and fishing. It is significant for the economy and for all of the residents that currently live here.

From a natural resource perspective it is also exceptional; it has the largest number of endangered and threatened species (most of which are found in aquatic habitats) of any Illinois county.

It's discouraging then to see so many mayors support a Rt. 53 tollway project that will clearly degrade Lake County's aquatic resource.

One of the most highly studied relationships across the country is the relationship between impervious cover (e.g. road surfaces, roofs, driveways, sidewalks, etc.) and biological integrity of streams.

The impervious cover created by the tollway project is not limited to the highway surface itself, rather it is part of the induced growth that will come with the urban development surrounding the tollway corridor and the County at large. It is surprising then that, Chicago Metropolitan Planning Agency has not determined the percentage of IC in the tollway corridor, they have not projected the increase in IC contingent on projected land uses, and they have not determined the countywide impacts of the new tollway.

Peak usage for this tollway is estimated at 63,000 vehicles a day; it will NOT stop east/west congestion.

Cost for the new tollway are projected at $2.8 billion. Lake County has the highest tax burden of any county in Illinois. There are less costly reasonable alternatives. We hate to borrow lines from the old Joni Mitchell song but it is so appropriate: "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot ..."

Let's keep Lake County exceptional. Veto the Rte. 53 tollway.

Jim Bland

Third Lake