Suburban leaders pledge to get O'Hare western bypass built

Bringing jobs, more industry and retail, traffic congestion relief and mass transit to the West suburbs are primary reasons to build the proposed western bypass to O'Hare International Airport, suburban leaders say.

A group of mayors from Cook and DuPage counties and representatives of their county boards reaffirmed their support Thursday for getting that roadway built at any cost.

The Illinois Department of Transportation project would extend the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway to O'Hare from its eastern terminus in Itasca and would build a western bypass around the airport linking to I-90 and I-294.

Suburban leaders say they cannot rely on federal or state dollars alone to fund the estimated $3.6 billion project, considering federal monies are stretched thin and Illinois' operating budget shortfall is $13 billion.

Thursday's news conference was mainly to stress the message of continued regional support for the project from communities that have not always been aligned on the O'Hare issue, officials said.

The route of a western bypass location was problematic, with towns including Elk Grove Village and Bensenville objecting to designs putting the road in their municipalities.

"If anyone would have told me two years ago that we would all be standing in this room together - I could have won a lot of money on that bet," said Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson, who spent years fighting the project for fear it would damage the town's huge industrial park. "The reason we are here is because we are working together."

The final plan, which has broad support, puts the bypass mainly on the western edge of O'Hare. It connects to I-294 to the south in Franklin Park and to I-90 to the north near the Des Plaines oasis.

DuPage County Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom said the most likely way to get the bypass built is to get the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority to fund it through user fees.

"We are not using that as our only option," Schillerstrom said. "We need to cast the net wide since the state is broke. We have to recognize that the federal government is not going to pay for this - the state government is not going to pay for this - none of us are going to be able to pay for this."

Each community affected by the bypass foresees some tangible benefits from the project.

"Bensenville sits in a unique position, being at the gateway of the western access," Village President Frank Soto said. "There will be tremendous economic opportunities, job creation for residents, and also revenue for the village. The plan also provides for a train/bus facility on Route 83 and Thorndale. The whole western side of O'Hare airport is pretty much a desert when it comes to mass transit."

"These new roadways will revitalize our commercial and industrial opportunities and offer us the ability to attract increased economic development," Des Plaines Mayor Marty Moylan said.

Schillerstrom said the timing is right for a project of this magnitude considering unemployment in construction-related jobs.

"This is a jobs bill," Schillerstrom said. "It will bring sustainable jobs to this area for 25 to 50 years."

He estimated the bypass would create 21,000 jobs by 2015 and add $3.6 billion to DuPage County's economy.

Schillerstrom and Soto have urged the tollway authority board to adopt the project.

"We have spent a fair amount of time reaching out to them, talking to them, and they have been an important part of our planning process all along," Schillerstrom said. "I am very hopeful that they will be interested in undertaking this."