Please, governor, end Rt. 53 for good

I urge Gov. Rauner to drop the controversial and decades-old Route 53 extension project once and for all.

Lake County needs to be allowed to move forward with a combination of promising alternatives, such as improving and widening local roads, making nonmotorized travel safer and easier and enhancing the reliability of public transportation options.

The Rt. 53 extension is bad public policy for many reasons. The extreme financial costs and over $1 billion funding gap make it an unrealistic and unsustainable project.

We know from urban planning research that building new roads encourages more people to drive and completely overwhelms any new capacity.

An often overlooked point in the Rt. 53 debate is that if people avoid it due to high tolls, in order to generate revenue, officials will have to open it to semi-trucks who pay ten times the tolls that passenger cars do. The prospect of more semi-trucks driving through central Lake County is especially troubling for the environment and public health.

In addition, the proximity of the extension poses serious health consequences to our children who attend Mundelein High School and Mechanics Grove Elementary School in Mundelein.

The Rt. 53 extension is a fiscally irresponsible project. I urge Gov. Rauner to stop it now, so we can move forward with sustainable solutions to Lake County's transportation and economic development needs.

Joan Sayre

Libertyville