Millburn plan is dangerous

The Millburn Strangler is fast becoming the Millburn Monster. LCDOT announced their final decision at the July CAG meeting. Their choice which I suspected but feared, is to cut through Forest Trail subdivision, run along homes in the Heritage Trails subdivision and bring a four-lane highway closer to Millburn West Grade School. How can this possibly be a better choice than to run the bypass east through farm fields?

At a planned posted speed of 45 mph, we’ll have trucks traveling 45-55 mph precariously close to homes with small children, as this will now become the preferred route to avoid tolls, weigh stations and the new round-a-bouts on Hunt Club Rd. How can this be a good thing?

Not to mention the noise, air pollution, soot, and road trash that will move into Forest Trail subdivision.

There is no traffic light with a crosswalk at the entrance to Forest Trail in the design, which means the kids on one side of the divided subdivision will most likely try to cross to get to their friends on the other side. Did anyone consider this?

Why were the concerns by residents not taken into account? Why isn’t “for the public good and safety” a top priority? It certainly appears as though wealth and well connected land owners far out weigh the general public. What else could it be?

Nothing else makes sense. There are still noise and pollution studies to complete. How can a final decision be made before this is done? Oh, yeah, because it was a done deal from the beginning. There was no intention of seriously looking at an eastern alternative. If there was, common sense would have prevailed.

One more thing, the chosen alternative will also run through McDonald Woods Forest Preserve. Preserving what? Temple Farms.

Lisa Gillespie

Lindenhurst