Wadsworth residents dispute value of road plan

From the little white church to the dense canopy formed by age-old oaks, Wadsworth Road in the namesake village is the postcard for rural atmosphere.

But a proposed project to add a third traffic lane and other features to a section of the road east from the Des Plaines River has mobilized some opponents, who complain that many 150-year-old oaks and other trees will be removed.

“You change the character of the community forever. There’s no going back,” said Debbie Spurgeon, one of a core group of residents, who organized last summer and have been waging a vigorous campaign against the project.

Since a website, www.preservewadsworth.com went live Jan. 7, opponents say more than 1,200 emails have been sent to county board members regarding what they contend is a costly and unnecessary improvement.

“We said we are opposed to the project as it is now because the trees will be taken down. It will change the character of Wadsworth and won’t solve the traffic issue,” resident Mike Dolan said.

He and several others on Friday addressed the Lake County Board, which met in a work session. They plan to restate their case Tuesday when the board considers resolutions involving the project, including about $3.8 million for construction and related funding.

The board meets at 9 a.m. at the county government building 18 N. County St., Waukegan.

The two-lane road in what is known as the downtown area of Wadsworth has gravel shoulders. About a 2,000-foot length is proposed to be widened from the river to east of the entrance of St. Patrick Catholic Church. The Canadian Pacific Railway crossing would be rebuilt and the remaining distance from the church to just west of Delany Road would be resurfaced.

Sidewalks, curb and gutter, bike lanes and a green strip are planned for either side of the road through the downtown area.

Village President Glenn Ryback said the project has been in the works for about 12 years and the village officials “wholeheartedly” support it. The existing sidewalk on the south side of the road is old and in disrepair and some of the trees are rotted and present a hazard, he added.

“Those doggone trees are going to blow over one of these days and that’s my concern,” Ryback said.

Marty Buehler, chief of the Lake County division of transportation, said there are drainage and other issues in the downtown stretch.

“You have a lot of concentrated turning movement in that area,” he said.

While not opposed to improving the road, residents say a center-turn lane won’t solve the problem because of lengthy freight trains that will back up traffic beyond the third lane.

“It may, in fact, make some turns into the church easier but it makes other things worse,” said longtime resident Susan Zingle.

“Our suggestion is take the third lane out,” Dolan said.

Buehler said he doesn’t agree, and added that turn lanes are beneficial on heavily traveled roads.

Opponents have at least one supporter on the county board in Steve Carlson of Gurnee, who said he plans to suggest the third lane be removed from the project. That, in effect, would send the project back to the village board, he said.

“Even if they do it, they’re just connecting two, two-lane roads with three lanes,” he said.