Road planners don't talk to one another

Apparently the administrators of the local public works departments, the county highway commission and IDOT don't realize there is this invention out there called a telephone - and a fax - and a computer - and e-mail - and ... you get the idea.

The mere fact that this collective group of "engineers" have decided to commence construction projects across the greater Elgin area without consulting each other just boggles the mind. They have summarily closed off the entire west side of Elgin without the ability to utilize an alternate route to gain access east of the Fox River. The ongoing Route 20/Bluff City Boulevard project is just completing; thank goodness, after more than two years of backups.

During this project, the alternative for several west-side residents who work east of the river was Route 19 or to go through South Elgin or take I-90. Well, let's see: Randall Road at Big Timber is down with Sherman Hospital entrance construction and West Bartlett Road heading into South Elgin is under a massive makeover - so forget those options. How about exiting Route 20 at Route 25 and taking that to West Bartlett Road? Nope, can't do that because Route 25 is now under construction as well from the cement yards to past Kenyon Road.

Let's not forget about Bartlett's decision to widen West Bartlett Road at Naperville Road. How about we just use Route 19? Good luck. They now have that shut down through Streamwood for two miles starting at Bartlett Road. Ah, I forgot, Route 20 is done; we can go back to that. Nope, that is now shut down as well for expansion joint repair from Lambert Road to Route 59.

I am absolutely dumbfounded that none of these people with "advanced higher learning" fail to talk to one another. Maybe Bill Foster should be paying attention to his district rather than spending thousands of dollars in mass mailings to his constituents in support of the ongoing health care debate.

David Struwing

Elgin