House District 59 candidates voice views on Route 53
It's been touted as a solution to traffic congestion in Lake County.
It's also been derided as too expensive, environmentally intrusive and unnecessary.
The extension of Route 53 from Lake-Cook Road to Route 120 has been stalled by lack of funding and opposition from those who don't want an expressway running behind their homes.
But talk of reviving the estimated $1 billion project has been in the news recently as Lake County Board Chairwoman and state senate candidate Suzi Schmidt pushed legislators to come up with the cash to complete it.
The four candidates seeking the state House District 59 seat differ in their support for the idea.
Republicans Dan Sugrue and Mohan Manian favor the plan to extend Route 53, as does Democrat Elliott Hartstein. Democrat state Rep. Carol Sente says improving existing roads should take priority.
"There are existing roads that need resurfacing, widening and modernization so they can support the increased traffic that has come to our area over the past several years," said Sente, 48, of Vernon Hills. "Stimulus money exists today that we could apply for to focus immediately on reducing gridlock and start putting people to work. I think that a lot of our area's traffic congestion could be alleviated by modernizing our roads and increasing traffic coordination between local governments and would want to try this course of action before considering building a costly superhighway that will take a generation before cars travel on it."
Hartstein, 61, currently Buffalo Grove Village President, says he favors the project because it could generate jobs and relieve congestion.
"I strongly support the extension of Route 53 because of the positive impact it could have on the entire county in terms of reducing traffic gridlock, stimulating economic development and access to jobs," Hartstein said. "It must be a priority project so that proper planning can be put in place to tie into the (Route) 120 bypass project which is moving forward. It must of course be done in a way that is compatible with environmental concerns, and in tandem with improvement of existing roads and user-friendly transit enhancements."
Sugrue, 46, an attorney from Green Oaks, says he supports the extension because it will spur economic development.
"Congestion caused by a lack of infrastructure makes it more difficult to move goods, services and employees to western Lake County and presents a major obstacle to economic development in the county," Sugrue said. "Corridors such as Route 60, Route 22 and Lake-Cook Road are home to businesses such as Grainger, HSBC, CDW, Hewitt, Takeda and Discover Card that provide jobs for Lake County residents. Improving the infrastructure in western Lake County would not only encourage commercial development and create jobs, it would also provide a more diverse tax base that would relieve the pressure on overtaxed homeowners who are currently bearing the brunt of the cost of schools and municipal services through their property taxes."
Manian, 46, of Green Oaks, said he would support the project, but says construction should include buffers and protections for homeowners living near the highway.
"I support Route 53 extension, but I would like to include noise reduction walls and any other arrangements to help the residents on that route," Manian said.
Democrats Sente and Hartstein will face off on Tuesday, as will Republicans Sugrue and Manian. The winners will face each other in the general election in November.
Schmidt is running as a Republican for the 31st District state senate seat. She is unopposed in Tuesday's primary but will face incumbent Democrat Michael Bond in November.