Cook Highway Department proposing to widen Quentin Road in Palatine

This column is about the tortoise and the hare.

The hare drives along Quentin Road, a busy arterial that bisects the Deer Grove Forest Preserve in Palatine.

But because the road goes from four lanes to two between Dundee Road and Lake-Cook Road, it creates a bottleneck slowing everyone stuck in rush-hour traffic. That's why the Cook County Highway Department has proposed a plan to widen the road.

The tortoise lives in Deer Grove Forest Preserve. Actually, it's a Blanding's turtle - an Illinois threatened species known for its distinctive gold markings. And the volunteers who serve Deer Grove worry the four-lane expansion will harm turtles, hundreds of trees and other preserve wildlife.

On Tuesday, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., the highway department will host an open house about the project at the Makray Memorial Golf Club, 1010 S. Northwest Hwy., Barrington.

Unlike the recent unpleasantness chez Tiger Woods, it's doubtful golf clubs will fly. But I expect a lively exchange of opinions. Here's a preview.

As Cook County Assistant Superintendent of Highways John Beissel explains it, "we have a capacity issue on that section of pavement."

Quentin is a strategic regional arterial road so it's "meant to move large volumes of people and goods without being impacted by congestion," he said. More than 20,000 vehicles a day travel on Quentin and it's projected to grow.

The one-mile chokepoint isn't only a traffic problem, it also causes air pollution and crashes because there are no turn lanes, Beissel said.

If the project is approved, the county would build four lanes on the road, including a bridge over the East Branch of Salt Creek, and add turn lanes at preserve entrances and residential streets on Quentin's east side.

The department also intends to improve forest preserve parking lots and build an underpass that would serve hikers, bikers and equestrians. They'll install curb and gutters plus water collection systems to minimize the widening's effect on wetlands.

The county needs a roughly one-acre easement of Deer Grove land for the road and upgrades plus additional acreage during construction. An estimated 762 trees would be cut, engineers said.

County officials said an independent study showed the project would not impact Blanding's turtles, although they were unable to provide a copy of the report.

"We're very sensitive to the tree and wetlands," Beissel said. "It's not like we're going in and clear-cutting everything."

But Deer Grove steward Peter Jackson and other volunteers fear the worst if the project is approved by the state and forest preserve district.

Deer Grove is the oldest forest preserve in Cook County and "our primary concern is with the mature oak trees," said Jackson, a biologist from Arlington Heights. Some of the trees are estimated to be 200 years old.

"We've already lost most of our natural heritage in Illinois. This is one of the few remnants in the area. It should be preserved for posterity."

Environmentalists consider the water collection systems proposed by the highway department inadequate to keep salt and other pollutants out of the wetlands that line parts of Quentin Road. Pollution will spell disaster for wildlife such as Blanding's turtles, Jackson said.

And a wider road means deer, turtles, frogs and salamanders have a higher mortality risk when crossing, he warned.

Jackson and others have created a Web site, Buildquentinright.com, that proposes a three-lane road with a center turn lane and synchronizing traffic lights as safer and environmentally friendly alternatives.

"We recognize there's a traffic problem that has to be addressed," Jackson said. "The best way to do this is in a way that is sensitive to Deer Grove."

Jo Anne Setze, who lives in the Dunhaven Woods subdivision adjacent to the forest preserve, is an avid biker who enjoys Deer Grove's trails.

She and others have created a Web site, Buildquentin.com, that supports the widening. Turning left onto Quentin from neighborhoods to the east is dangerous and time-consuming, especially during rush-hour, Setze said.

"You have less than two seconds to make a left or wait another five minutes for a break in the traffic pattern," she said.

The turn lanes will improve safety and the four lanes will let traffic flow more efficiently, creating gaps so local residents can access Quentin without excessive waits, she said.

Moreover, features such as the underpass will be a huge improvement for bikers and walkers, Setze contends.

"I'd love to see this project go forward, it impacts so many people and would be a benefit to so many," she said.

Friends of the Forest Preserves Benjamin Cox agrees the project will affect a lot of people - but in a negative way. He advocates for an alternative such as the three-lane option.

"Why do the forest preserves always have to lose?" he asked. "There are roads all over the place, why make this one bigger?"

Cox also is skeptical that engineering can prevent road salt from penetrating the wetlands.

"The biggest contaminant on roadways is salt and the bigger the road is the more salt. It will definitely have a severe impact on wildlife."

And, if you don't hold the line at Quentin Road, Deer Grove could be subject to other land grabs, Cox warned. The bottom line, he contends, is that Cook County forest preserves aren't a parochial concern. "That preserve belongs to me as much as the people who live next door to it. Our tax dollars go countywide."

Flotsam and jetsam

• Regional Transportation Authority Executive Director Steve Schlickman joined leaders from Metra, the CTA, Pace and other urban transit agencies in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to lobby for more money during the White House Jobs Summit. Their point? If you want to create jobs, talk to transit agencies. "There's a backlog of good repair projects we can out the door quickly and would not only improve transit systems but create thousands and thousands of jobs," Schlickman said.

• Pace holds a hearing on whether to cancel Route 557, "The Hotline," from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday at the Barrington Metra station, 201 S. Spring St. It travels between the Barrington Metra stop and area companies including Siemens, SBC and ADP.