Wait on Red Gate for impact of Stearns

I wonder, “why now?” on the Red Gate Bridge. This proposal will cost, according to the city of St. Charles website, between $20 million and $30 million. For what?

The new four-lane Stearns Road bridge linking Route 59 to Randall Road will open Dec. 16. That bridge is about two miles north of the proposed Red Gate bridge site. It will allow trucks as well as cars.

Would it not be wiser to wait and see what impact it will have before spending all of this money on a two-lane bridge that will not allow trucks and by city estimates will handle about 4,000 cars a day? My suspicion is that a portion of those 4,000 cars will be using the Stearns bridge. It is also opposed by the village of Wayne, into which it will deposit this traffic.

The economy has resulted in a dramatic drop in state and local revenues. Budgets for education, public safety and health have been cut, hence funds are at a premium and should be spent wisely. The money, in my opinion, needed to complete this questionable project could be spent in a much wiser fashion. I bet that there are many other taxpayers that might question this expenditure as well.

William Getchius

St. Charles