House, Sen. candidates address transit

State senate and representative candidates in Lake County have a variety of transportation improvement projects they want funded, ranging from the Metra commuter rail line to major east-west thoroughfares. In advance of the Nov. 4 election candidates were asked by the Daily Herald what were the top local projects they want included in future state spending.

House District 51

Republican state Rep. Ed Sulivan Jr. says his No. 1 transportation project would be widening a group of busy roads in the Mundelein area; Democratic candidate Amanda Howland said commuter rail service must be improved.

Sullivan, 39, seeks a fourth term. He's facing a second challenge from Howland, whom he defeated in 2006.

A Mundelein resident who's also Fremont Township's assessor, Sullivan quickly cited a trio of often-crowded roads in the Ivanhoe neighborhood, just outside of Mundelein. Widening the stretches of Route 60, Route 83 and Route 176 there would alleviate traffic congestion for local residents and the thousands of people who drive through that area, he said.

Sullivan's especially high on the project, which he said already is before IDOT, because Mundelein village officials have forced local commercial developers to help fund road improvements there. He estimated the state would have to pay only about 40 percent of what would be a multimillion-dollar project.

"We can mitigate a lot of problems ... and we can do it with minimal state dollars," Sullivan said.

Howland, 56, an attorney from Lake Zurich, insisted Metra service in Lake County needs to be bolstered. More trains and more convenient schedules are needed to accommodate commuters in the center of the county, such as those who use stations in Mundelein, Libertyville and Vernon Hills. More express trains are needed, too, she said.

"The trip just takes too long," she said.

Howland supports the long-proposed STAR line, a 55-mile rail route that is outside of the 51st District but would link west, north and south suburbs. That proposed line could be jeopardized by the Canadian National Railway's plan to buy the EJ&E Railway, some officials have said. Howland opposes the CN deal, which would allow the company to move some of its freight traffic onto the EJ&E line.

"It's just diverting traffic from one set of rails ... to over here in our district," she said. "And that's not equitable."

The 51st District includes much of central and southern Lake County.

House District 52

Democrat Richard Garling said he'd support paying for an extension of Route 53, while incumbent Republican Mark Beaubien would place some road projects identified by leaders in Lake and McHenry counties at the top of his list.

The 52nd District includes west and southwest Lake County from Fox Lake, Round Lake, Island Lake and Wauconda south to the Barrington area; and Crystal Lake, Cary and Fox River Grove in McHenry County.

Garling, 52, an Island Lake trustee, said a Route 53 extension north from Lake-Cook Road would alleviate congestion on other roads.

Beaubien, 65, of Barrington, said improvements to routes 31 and 47 would be worth including in a capital spending bill. He said if forced to select from a plethora of choices, he'd pick upgrades to Route 31 because it's in his district.

"It gets pretty narrow," said Beaubien. "Everything effects everything."

House District 59

Incumbent state Rep. Kathleen Ryg says she would give priority to completing regional road projects selected by area legislators at two transportation summits. Similarly, her Republican opponent Daniel J. Sugrue favors finishing existing projects before starting new ones.

"My priority is to make sure that (road projects) agenda stays in the capital plan," said Ryg, 56, a Vernon Hills Democrat. "That's where we agreed that those improvements would have the biggest impact on the region."

Ryg said two key projects in that agenda are intersection improvements, plus expanding Route 45 between routes 21 and 83, and expanding Route 60 between routes 83 and 176.

"We know that if you improve those areas, everyone to the west is going to benefit because those are the major thoroughfares to the expressway and tollway," she said.

Sugrue, 44, a Green Oaks attorney, said it's important to curb the state's spending and finish projects that are already in the works.

"The first priority is to complete all the projects that are existing right now," Sugrue said. "I don't want to spend anything on anything new unless we finish all the phases that are going on right now."

But, he added, of all the roads in Lake County, Route 45 needs the most work.

"If you go north on Route 45 up to near Route 120, it's completely backed up every single day," he said.

The 59th District is in east central Lake County and northern Cook County from Park City south to Green Oaks, Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Wheeling.

House District 61

Widening and improvement of Route 173 is a top transportation priority for both House District 61 candidates.

Republican incumbent JoAnn Osmond and her Democratic challenger, James H. Parks, agree that Route 173, a major east-west road cutting across northern Lake County, is in dire need of an upgrade. The Antioch residents say the money for the project would be available if a major capital spending bill is passed.

Osmond, 62, says she's frustrated with the state being slow in providing money for an important project like Route 173. She contends Route 173 needs repair all the way from I-94 on the east to the McHenry County line on the west.

Parks, 60, an independent sales representative, says the need for improvement goes beyond easing congestion.

"This isn't just about improving traffic flow," Parks said. "Route 173 is key to business development. There is a potential to attract distributors and light manufacturing firms to locate here instead of Wisconsin."

Parks said companies won't locate in Lake County if their trucks are getting bogged down on substandard roads.

The 61st District covers northern Lake County, stretching from Lake Michigan west to the McHenry County line.

Senate District 26

Republican Dan Duffy would push for funding the long-proposed Route 53 extension north from Lake-Cook Road, while Democrat Bill Gentes cites the need for improving Route 120 from Waukegan to McHenry County.

Gentes, 49, the mayor of Round Lake, said the proposed Route 120 project would benefit the large suburban area.

He said he also would want money to widen major roads such as Route 60 and the Route 53 extension, but believes Route 120 should be at the top of the list.

Duffy, 42, a business co-owner from unincorporated Lake Barrington, said while he realizes Route 53 has been a long-dormant proposal, it would be worth seeking funding for it because of the potential to relieve other congested suburban roads.

He also would seek funding for widening of Route 176, calling it "bottlenecked from one end to the other."

District 26 runs from Libertyville Township in Lake County west to Nunda, McHenry and Dorr townships in McHenry County, and part of Palatine Township in Cook County. Duffy and Gentes are running for the seat now held by longtime state Sen. William Peterson, who is retiring.

Senate District 30

Four-term incumbent state Sen. Terry Link said he wants to get major roadways in his district such as routes 41 and 60 repaired, while Republican challenger Keith Gray says he would rely on experts to select the project that would address the most problematic east-west thoroughfare.

Link, 61, a Waukegan Democrat who leads the party's Lake County wing, said the Route 120 corridor is the most important thoroughfare for his district. He wants to see improvements such as widening and reconfiguration of that roadway.

"If we can get that done, it will move traffic a lot easier so people can get to and from their place of employment," he said.

Gray, 47, a small-business owner from Mettawa, said his key project would be Route 83, which he considers the most congested roadway needing the most attention, as well as other parallel roads.

"I would have to defer to the state board of highways, transportation, whichever is going to offer a study, an opinion on what is going to relieve the most east-west (congestion)," he added.

The 30th District covers eastern Lake County from Waukegan south to North Chicago and southwest to Green Oaks, Mettawa, Lincolnshire and Riverwoods and a small portion of Cook County.