Elgin O'Hare meeting should be interesting
Why rearrange your life to attend a Wednesday meeting on the status of the Elgin O'Hare - West Bypass Project?
Because it's going to be interesting - I promise. Really. You don't even have to be a transportation wonk.
After months of talking, the state is closing in on final designs for the long-talked about Elgin O'Hare Expressway and western bypass connecting I-90 and I-294 just west of the airport. You heard right, the Elgin O'Hare Expressway may eventually end up at O'Hare International Airport instead of just petering out around Wood Dale.
So if you live near the airport or wished for a quicker way to approach it from the west, you've got a stake in what happens.
The Illinois Department of Transportation will present seven options for the project during an open house in Addison.
• One ambitious design extends the Elgin O'Hare east along Thorndale Avenue as a major expressway. The western bypass part involves building an expressway that starts at I-90, follows the airport along York Road and Irving Park Road before connecting with I-294, affecting Bensenville, Schiller Park and Franklin Park.
• A scaled-back version takes the Elgin O'Hare east as an expressway to Route 83, then continues east along a widened Thorndale into the airport. The plan also would widen Route 83 between I-90 and I-290. A ring road would be extended along O'Hare's southeast boundary following expanded sections of York Road and Irving Park Road, eventually intersecting with I-294.
Other variations involve turning segments of Route 83 and York Road into expressway or widening the two arterials.
Although O'Hare does own a 300-foot right-of-way along its western border, any type of construction in such a built-up area would obviously involve acquiring homes and businesses.
Municipal and county engineers and administrators have huddled with IDOT narrowing down the options, among them DuPage County Director of Transportation and Operations John Kos.
He acknowledged challenges ahead no matter which option is chosen. For example, the Route 83 widening concept "does lend itself to issues for businesses and residents," Kos said.
But he's excited the process has inched forward to the public meeting stage.
"From a regional perspective, to get traffic to and from the area is critical," Kos said.
On the Cook County end, Elk Grove VIllage has vigorously fought the O'Hare Modernization Plan, which involves expanding the airport and condemning hundreds of properties to build parallel runways.
But Mayor Craig Johnson said he has no quarrel with IDOT's approach, calling the agency cooperative and saying it's offering alternatives he can live with.
With thousands of tons of freight moving through EGV every day, "Any way we can get vehicles, trucks and airport traffic moving in and out of the community faster will be a benefit," Johnson said.
It's a different story in Bensenville, Elk Grove Village's ally on the O'Hare expansion front.
Bensenville Village Manager Jim Johnson said any construction plans west or south of the existing airport boundaries mean trouble.
"Any of those options would be a disaster and once again Bensenville gets punished," he said, adding he wondered how the state can pay for the project.
There's no price tag yet but Jim Johnson is correct that it won't be cheap. Initial planning alone is costing $5.4 million.
The open house runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Oak Meadows Golf Course, 900 N. Wood Dale Road. For more information, call IDOT at (847) 705-4103 or visit www.elginohare-westbypass.org.
And should you wish to have a life on Wednesday night, no worries. We'll be there.
Flotsam and jetsam
• Don't expect "Black Diamond" lanes at O'Hare International Airport anytime soon. The program lets fliers decide for themselves what security checkpoint lanes to use based on experience. Categories range from veteran traveler, to casual to families or people needing special assistance. They were instituted at Midway International Airport earlier this year. But a Transportation Security Administration official said the program's getting a little resistance from airlines at O'Hare because it will require a lot of extra work to set up.
• Nothing like making a good second impression. An editor's note not meant for publication appeared at the start of the column last Sunday causing confusion for anyone reading about FAA pilot Scott Wiebe. Thanks for bearing with our technical difficulties.
Incoming
• Police will be out in full force this holiday weekend looking for drunken drivers on state and local roads, authorities warn.
• Changes in store on the central Tri-State. As part of ongoing widening and reconstruction, the entrance ramp from eastbound Dempster Street to southbound I-294 just reopened. But don't open the champagne yet. The southbound entrance ramp from eastbound Touhy Avenue closes to traffic until spring. Detour signs will be posted.