Referendum on Route 53 a no-brainer, Stolman says

Could support from Lake County voters help persuade lawmakers to extend Route 53 north through Lake County?

County board member David Stolman hopes so.

"It's a no-brainer (to) allow the public to decide such an important issue," said Stolman, a Buffalo Grove Republican who serves as vice chairman of both the board and its public works and transportation committee. "It takes it out of the political realm."

Stolman wants a nonbinding, advisory referendum about Route 53 to appear on April 7 ballots across Lake County. A "yes" decision wouldn't force the county board, General Assembly or any other governmental agency to take action - but it could provide the consensus politicians and transportation leaders say has been lacking on the issue.

"Do people want it or don't they want it? This will tell us," said County Board Chairwoman Suzi Schmidt, a Lake Villa Republican.

Local governments and state transportation officials have talked about extending Route 53 from Lake-Cook Road near Long Grove to Route 120 in Grayslake for decades, but it's never happened.

Stolman believes the highway would increase jobs and business opportunities in Lake County. It also would reduce road congestion, which is notorious in the county, Stolman said.

"It's very simple: Do you want to sit in traffic, or do you want to look for an alternative?" he said.

Critics, however, have said a Route 53 extension would disturb some communities, increase pollution and damage environmentally sensitive land.

Some estimates have put the project's potential cost at more than $1 billion. Long Grove Mayor Maria Rodriguez, whose town historically has opposed a highway extension, said transportation dollars should first be spent to improve existing roads, particularly routes that already are scheduled for widening.

"There are just so many projects that are in need," Rodriguez said.

The Illinois Department of Transportation has said the project is stalled until a stronger political consensus forms. But Stolman believes the project could be funded as part of a future federal stimulus package.

He called President Elect Barack Obama's incoming administration "a new hope" for the project.

Schmidt believes the project could also have an ally in Obama's choice for transportation secretary, former U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood of Peoria.

"If we do not seize the moment when we may have an opportunity, then we are not doing our jobs," Schmidt said.

The extension also could be turned into a tollway, officials said, a move that would allow motorists to fund its construction.

The public works committee could consider a draft resolution at its next meeting, scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14, at the county government center in downtown Waukegan. The full board could vote on whether to put the question before voters at its Jan. 20 meeting.