Stop wasting money on Route 53

I respectfully urge Gov. Rauner to stop the Route 53 extension.

As a Gurnee resident, I am particularly concerned about the current plan to turn Belvidere Road (Route 120) into a toll road from Almond Marsh to I-94. Many Gurnee residents work in Waukegan and will have to pay daily for the Route 53 extension, a road that most of us would seldom use. Similarly, all Gurnee drivers will pay for Route 53 via an increase in the Lake County fuel tax.

In case those financial obligations are not enough, the cost of traveling from Gurnee to O'Hare will double thanks to the return of the Deerfield toll plaza. Even with all of these tax hikes, the project is still over $1.3 billion short.

I agree with Lake County Board Member Steve Carlson from Gurnee and Board President Aaron Lawlor who oppose this project.

This project is fiscally irresponsible and places an undue burden upon Gurnee residents.

I ask Gov. Rauner to drop the Route 53 extension permanently and consider less costly and more viable alternatives to address Lake County's transportation needs. In addition, I request Gov. Rauner to deter the Illinois Toll Highway Authority Board from wasting $45 million to $50 million for another unnecessary Route 53 environmental impact study.

The money would be better spent constructing a railroad underpass at Routes 120 and 83.

Brian Gallagher

Gurnee