Route 53 question to go to voters

They have informally debated the pros and cons of extending Route 53 for decades, but Lake County voters finally will get an official say.

The Lake County Board on Tuesday agreed to ask for public opinion on the long-standing and contentious issue by putting the Route 53 question on the ballot April 7.

Results will be advisory only, but county officials say they will guide them in deciding whether to pursue the extension of the congested state route from Lake-Cook Road to Route 120 in the western part of the county.

"This is a way to try to get the status quo to change," said board member Michael Talbett of Lake Zurich.

"The value here is it gives us direction and motivation to do it right."

Voters will be asked whether the state should construct the extension, but one key element they won't have to consider is whether it should be built as a tollway. The county board before the final vote agreed to change the wording to delete that reference.

In a debate concerning that change, supporters argued the open-ended language would allow for more options, such as mass transit, to be considered as part of the project.

"That doesn't mean it couldn't be a tollway. The decision was made to leave it more open so there could be a variety of ways to build this road," said Board Chairman Suzi Schmidt.

The final vote on the ballot question was 17-4 with ample comment from board members and the public before the vote.

Opponents said voters wouldn't have enough information, including the cost, amount of traffic relief that could be expected and environmental impact.

How a positive vote on Route 53 would affect other road needs, notably the Route 120 corridor, were other concerns.

"This question has no context on the ballot," said board member Anne Bassi of Highland Park. "This is not government. This is not planning. This is not a way to do business."

But with the possibility of federal economic stimulus dollars on the horizon, the overreaching sentiment was to proceed with the ballot question.

Extending Route 53 was supported years ago by the county board and two years ago, during a transportation summit, 61 percent of Lake County elected officials strongly favored it as well.

Extending Route 53 as a tollway or freeway has been included as an alternative, along with improving existing roads, in long-range regional plans.

But the issue has been dormant as funds for what could be a $1 billion project have not been available.

Most recently, former Illinois Toll Highway Authority chief Brian McPartlin said political will, courage and consensus were needed for progress to be made on the project.

But voters have never specifically been asked their opinion.

Board member Angelo Kyle of Waukegan objected to McPartlin's references, saying the issue should be perceived as nonpolitical. His motion to strike that from the resolution authorizing the question failed.

"I thought it was uttered to us as a challenge," responded board member Carol Calabresa of Libertyville. "This was saying, 'Please, Lake County, give us your opinion.'"