Re-christened Route 53 project expands its scope

By Gregory Harutunian For Chronicle Media

The proposed route 53 extension through Lake County will run from Lake-Cook Road in Buffalo Grove to Route 120 in Lakemoor. (Photo by Gregory Harutunian/for Chronicle Media)

The controversial Route 53 extension initiative has widened its scope by encompassing eastern McHenry County and the Wisconsin border under an umbrella title moving forward, as the Tri-County Access project.

A March 21 stakeholders’ meeting, which included members of the original 2012 Blue Ribbon Advisory Council, provided an introduction to the plans that were unveiled in July.

The Illinois Tollway Authority passed a resolution in December 2015 to authorize a nearly $45 million environmental impact study, with a $6 million opening annual outlay and a timeline for completion in 2020. The EIS would determine the corridor’s viability to extend Route 53 through Lake County, from its southern terminus at Lake-Cook Road, north to a Route 120 endpoint.

From the Route 120 terminus west into the Lakemoor area, where it enters McHenry County proper, the arterial thoroughfare is being viewed as the county’s second major access point for traffic and the movement of goods. The advantage heading east from the Route 120 terminus is a connection with the I-294 Tollway, and Wisconsin. A retail center at the southwest corner of the routes 12 and 120 intersection featuring a Woodman’s Foods is currently underway and expected to jumpstart the Lakemoor economy.

“The Tri-County Access Project is a comprehensive regional study that will help determine how best to address traffic congestion in Lake, northern Cook and eastern McHenry counties in a way that is environmentally friendly and fiscally-responsible,” said Daniel Rozek, senior manager for communications at the Illinois Tollway Authority.

“For decades, there has been talk of extending Illinois Route 53, along with making improvements to Illinois Route 120.

“This study will move beyond that discussion and examine all reasonable alternatives to addressing traffic gridlock,” he said. “Public involvement is a key component to the project. More than 150 community leaders have been invited to weigh in through a Stakeholder Participation Group, which will meet again later this month. Feedback from that group, and the general public, is critical to arriving at the best solution for the region.”

McHenry County’s other major traffic access has broken ground and carries a fall 2023 completion date. An interchange with a section of I-90, known as the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway, will have accesses at Route 23, with the number “Exit 36,” giving entry to the city of Marengo and western McHenry County.

“We are prioritizing the aspect that the transportation of goods and services, as well as commuters, in and out of the county, is a good thing,” said McHenry County Administrator Peter Austin. “The matter of our commuters, who drive on a daily basis, is also an important factor that cannot be minimized.”                             

The Route 53 extension received a right-of-way designation from the federal government through the Lake Zurich-Hawthorn Woods area. (Photo by Gregory Harutunian/for Chronicle Media)

Problems revolving around Route 53 centered on the prospect of funding mechanisms to actually finance the $2.65 billion project’s construction and ancillary costs. The BRAC report indicated the cost for using the 25-mile roadway would be 20 cents per mile, with additional charges, during rush hour periods listed as “congestion pricing.”

According to a flier that circulated at the Lake County courthouse and other locations, a special taxing district would also be instituted “to capture 25 percent of the real estate value for adjacent new nonresidential development that would be dedicated to the Environmental Restoration and Stewardship Fund.”

Lake County has not issued any statements concerning its viewpoints, or the status of the Tri-county Access Project. Jennie Vana, chief communications officer for Lake County, said, in an email, “This is an Illinois Tollway project, therefore questions should be directed to that agency.”

Rozek said, “The Tri-County Access Project will result in the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement that will assess what steps can be taken to reduce traffic congestion and provide increased mobility across the entire Tri-County region, and not just in Lake County or along the Illinois Route 53 corridor. The Tollway has $4.9 million budgeted in 2018 for emerging projects, which includes the EIS.

“The broader, regional study is necessary because traffic issues extend across county lines and state borders, which is why the Tri-County Access Project will look at a wide range of solutions across a 1,000-square-mile study area that includes more than 85 cities and suburbs in five counties in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.”

The next meeting of the stakeholders’ participation group is April 24, at the Round Lake Beach.

 

Re-christened Route 53 project expands its scope–