Last chance for Longmeadow opponents to voice concerns?
A public hearing set for the end of August might be the final time outside a courtroom that Longmeadow Parkway opponents will get significant time to voice concerns about one of the largest transportation projects in Kane County history.
The Kane County Division of Transportation will host a four-hour public hearing on the project at 4 p.m. Aug. 30 at the Holiday Inn, 495 Airport Road, Elgin.
The focus of the hearing are the results of an updated study of the environmental impacts of the 5.6-mile project. The roadway runs from Huntley/Boyer Road to Route 62 and includes a new toll bridge over the Fox River. The road will bisect the Brunner Forest Preserve and affect about 5,765 trees and 11 wetlands.
Opposition heated up in early 2015 after more than 20 years of work on the $135 million project. One lawsuit to stop the plan is already in the court system. Another lawsuit awaits the collection of $10,000 in pledges to support a legal battle.
Opponents have urged “no” votes on engineering and construction contracts at county board meetings. And the upcoming hearing already inspired 165 pages of comments from opponents and responses from KDOT officials.
“The Brunner property, in particular, was purchased with taxpayer funds to provide additional open space in the county,” wrote opponent Janis Jasper. “To watch the roadway cut through this land goes against every reason why taxpayers are asked to approve land purchases by forest preserve entities. Changes to the land with this type of construction not only changes the actual topography but also affects the water, air, light and sound quality far beyond the actual roadway itself.”
County transportation officials and some county board members defend the plan as a necessary new river crossing.
It will address current and projected future congestion as well as assist future development along the parkway corridor, they say.
They point to previous studies indicating the parkway will have less environmental impact than the county's Stearns Road Bridge project.
The Federal Highway Administration will review the county's updated justifications and the public comments. The agency will then decide if the project warrants a more in-depth, updated study of the environmental impacts before the project can continue.
The public can submit comments through Sept. 6. The county's environmental studies are available at www.co.kane.il.us/dot/foxBridges/longmeadowPkwy.aspx.