Route 20 change officially off the table

At the recommendation of city staff members, the Elgin council unanimously voted against funding a feasibility study to look into the possibility of turning the Route 20 bypass into an urban highway.

The item was initially tabled at the Jan. 26 meeting, when staff members recommended funding the study. The hope was that the data would help convince the Illinois Department of Transportation to consider an alternative design on the state-maintained road.

Councilman John Steffen was among supporters of the plan when it came up the first time and throughout election season. And though he voted against the study at Wednesday’s committee of the whole meeting, Steffen said the city needs to be open to changing the bypass when money becomes available.

A lack of funding is why city staff members recommended the council decline to enter a $97,715 agreement with a consulting firm to conduct a traffic study.

“There’s no sense spending the money to obtain the data that’s going to be outdated by the time we have any money to do anything,” Steffen said.

New council members Anna Moeller and Tish Powell did not contribute to Wednesday’s discussion, but both said they opposed the cost of the study during the course of their council campaigns.

Councilman John Prigge — an opponent of the study for its purpose, rather than its cost and timing — said there is nothing wrong with the bypass. In the meeting discussion, Prigge said Route 20 is the fastest way to cross the river besides I-90.

“To consider slowing that traffic would be detrimental to all the development that’s out there,” Prigge said.

At least for now, that stretch of road will avoid new construction plans — much to the satisfaction of Chuck Keysor, a founding member of The Committee to Save the Route 20 Bypass, who attended Wednesday’s meeting.

Keysor said he couldn’t be happier with the outcome of the discussion.

“It’s a victory for common sense and prudence,” Keysor said.