Illinois 53 Extension

[Joe The Dragon]

Lake County Chairman changes stance on IL 53 extension

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160516/news/160519062/

In other words, it's almost officially dead forever. Great...........

Maybe, maybe not.

Long Grove and Hawthorne woods are shooting themselves in the foot with this NIMBY.

First, Lake county doesn't levy a 4 cent per gallon gas tax like Dupage and Kane county do-Lake county doesn't levy a tax at all.

Two, if this highway was built, I'd imagine it would be mildly successful as it's in a prime location. If the area gets built up with tons of industrial and commercial complexes, the tax revenue would be astounding.

Third, I'll point to the Virginia Dulles Greenway/626. Built 30 years ago. Look at it now, Greenway has extremely high toll-close to $5-6 just to be on it, and  Virginia 626 has $3-4 toll. Toll prices are ridiculous, but what's amazing is the number of industrial/commercial lots that have been built in 30 years time.

"environmentally conscious planning" heh, tell those to the bafoons in Long grove with their 1-2 acre lots.

This highway, if built properly, would be very well used. In fact, I think they are severely underestimating how big it would be.

Someone please tell people to stop giving in to Long Grove and Hawthorne Woods. Golden opportunity is just being wasted here! However, I'm glad the Tollway is still sticking with it, and here's hoping their study actually concludes what most of us know... it should be built, and built to Interstate standards at 65 MPH.

70 MPH build (but under posted at 60-65 for at least part of it)

Richmond part as well.

[Rick Powell]

More background on recent IL 53 news.
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160523/news/160529608/

[tribar]

Is it possible that the 120 bypass could be done without the 53 extension?  Has there been a lot of opposition to it or is it simply a matter of money?  Even without the extra traffic from 53, this bypass is still needed, as getting through Grayslake is a nightmare, even during non peak hours.

[ChiMilNet]

Is it possible that the 120 bypass could be done without the 53 extension?  Has there been a lot of opposition to it or is it simply a matter of money?  Even without the extra traffic from 53, this bypass is still needed, as getting through Grayslake is a nightmare, even during non peak hours.

Maybe it is time to start looking at these two segments as separate projects. It would be nice to have some type of uninterrupted access tollway going to NW Lake County. That area desperately does need it. They could always leave the accommodation for the IL 53 Extension/Connection if needed. Actually, the IL 120 bypass probably could be done way cheaper by itself.

[I-90]

Is it possible that the 120 bypass could be done without the 53 extension?  Has there been a lot of opposition to it or is it simply a matter of money?  Even without the extra traffic from 53, this bypass is still needed, as getting through Grayslake is a nightmare, even during non peak hours.

Maybe it is time to start looking at these two segments as separate projects. It would be nice to have some type of uninterrupted access tollway going to NW Lake County. That area desperately does need it. They could always leave the accommodation for the IL 53 Extension/Connection if needed. Actually, the IL 120 bypass probably could be done way cheaper by itself.

yep they should look at them as separate projects because I didn't heard of opposition against the bypass (not sure)

[ajlynch91]

Based on what I know, which isn't much, the 120 Bypass does not NEED to be part of the IL 53 Extension project. However I believe the current design hinges on it being built. Given how intertwined planning and design have been for the project, I believe to spin it off into a separate project isn't something either IDOT or the Tollway (or LCDOT, for that matter) want to do at this point, since they'd be taking several steps back, but doing so might get it built quicker than 53.

[johndoe780]

I blame some of the problem on LCDOT themselves. They complain about lack of funding, but they can very well raise their gas tax (currently at 0 cents per gallon) to anywhere up to 4 cents per gallon.

Dupage, Mchenry, and kane all levy 4 cents per gallon.

[I-90]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-lake-county-traffic-getting-around-0515-20170514-story.html

Lake County has many beauties – the lakes, the forest preserves, the antiques stores.

But one place you don't want to be is on Illinois Route 120 during rush hour, when congestion causes major backups on the partly two-lane highway that runs east/west through the center of the county.

Widening and realigning parts of Route 120 are part of a long-discussed proposal to extend Illinois Route 53 north to Lake County and turn it into a T-shaped tollway, with Route 120 at the top.

But the 53/120 plan appears to be ailing. Key supporters have backed out. The Illinois Tollway voted in December 2015 to spend up to $50 million for a comprehensive environmental study, but nothing has happened.

Probably because they secretly canceled it

Meanwhile, communities along Route 120, also known as Belvidere Road, have grown tired of waiting. The county's population has almost doubled in the past 50 years, and a road that had served a mostly rural area is now a key suburban connection. Local officials want to work with federal, state and county leaders to fix the troubled route soon, regardless of whether the ambitious Route 53 component ever happens.

"I think 120 is the number one priority that Lake County needs," said Lake County Board Chair Aaron Lawlor, who dropped his support for the Route 53 expansion last year. "That's the number one project that's been held hostage by 53 in the last 50 years."

WHY DIDENT LAKE COUNTY LOOK IL 53 AND IL 120 AS SEPERATE PROGICTS? 

Lake County has many beauties – the lakes, the forest preserves, the antiques stores.

But one place you don't want to be is on Illinois Route 120 during rush hour, when congestion causes major backups on the partly two-lane highway that runs east/west through the center of the county.

Widening and realigning parts of Route 120 are part of a long-discussed proposal to extend Illinois Route 53 north to Lake County and turn it into a T-shaped tollway, with Route 120 at the top.

But the 53/120 plan appears to be ailing. Key supporters have backed out. The Illinois Tollway voted in December 2015 to spend up to $50 million for a comprehensive environmental study, but nothing has happened.


Meanwhile, communities along Route 120, also known as Belvidere Road, have grown tired of waiting. The county's population has almost doubled in the past 50 years, and a road that had served a mostly rural area is now a key suburban connection. Local officials want to work with federal, state and county leaders to fix the troubled route soon, regardless of whether the ambitious Route 53 component ever happens.

"I think 120 is the number one priority that Lake County needs," said Lake County Board Chair Aaron Lawlor, who dropped his support for the Route 53 expansion last year. "That's the number one project that's been held hostage by 53 in the last 50 years."



MAP:
Grayslake Village Manager Mike Ellis said he did not have an opinion on Route 53. "My concern is 120 and what can be done," Ellis said.

Grayslake and the communities of Lakemoor, Volo, Round Lake, Round Lake Park and Hainesville got together to come up with a consensus list of Belvidere Road improvements. Ellis said the communities want to focus local and state leaders' attention on Route 120.

"It's a long road to get to the road," Ellis said. "The quicker we can get these specific improvements on people's minds, the better."

State Sen. Melinda Bush, D-Grayslake, said her office will hold meetings over the summer with the Illinois Department of Transportation, road builders and other stakeholders about Route 120.

"These are improvements that have needed to be done in the last 20 years," Bush said.

The communities' "capacity plan" points to the fact that long backups form during rush hour on sections of Route 120 between Almond Road and Route 12. This will get worse, with future traffic volumes projected to rise up to 65 percent between now and 2040, according to the plan.

Besides widening some sections, the plan suggests other improvements to aid traffic flow, such as right turn lanes at some intersections and creating a road/rail grade separation at the 120/Illinois Route 83 intersection in Grayslake. The total cost of the proposed improvements is $60.53 million.

"It would cure 75 percent of the congestion," said Bill Morris, a former Tollway board member. "It would lose all the momentum of the politicians for I-53."

By comparison, the total cost of the 53/120 project, which would involve building an entirely new north/south road, would be up to $2.65 billion.

IDOT spokeswoman Gianna Urgo said the agency does not have any plans to widen or reroute Route 120 separate from Route 53 extension plans, though it is doing resurfacing and bridge rehabilitation projects, while making intersection improvements and installing traffic signals at Route 120 and Hainesville Road.

[I-90]

The Route 53 extension has been part of regional transportation planning since the 1960s, but it also has been the subject of intense debate, with opponents expressing concern about its impact on wetlands and its high costs.

The proposed project would extend Route 53 in Cook County north to Route 120, while widening and creating a bypass for portions of Route 120, for about 25 miles of new or improved road.

A Blue Ribbon Advisory Council made up of public officials and representatives from business, labor, planning and environmental groups was created in 2011. It favored a four-lane boulevard with a maximum speed of 45 miles per hour and a number of environmental features.

Under the Council's framework, the road could be funded with tolls of 20 cents per mile – about three times the Tollway average – a 4 cent per gallon fuel tax and a capture of real estate tax revenue. Tollway spokesman Dan Rozek noted that the Tollway does not fund projects with increased gas taxes or future real estate tax revenue captures, and any discussion on future funding sources would be premature.

The Council's two co-chairs have withdrawn their support for the plan – Lawlor last year and George Ranney last month.

"I believe the project is functionally dead," said Lawlor, noting its high costs.

Ranney said in a statement that at a time when state finances continue to deteriorate, Lake County needs to consider other alternatives. He noted that new demographic trends suggest fewer new suburban households and a decline in car ownership among young people, along with driverless cars may make roads like Route 53 "quite different" by the time the road is built.

"It is time for the Tollway to reform the entire road planning process and accept that a costly and environmentally destructive 53-120 highway extension through Lake County is neither supported nor feasible," Ranney wrote.

In April, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a consumer advocacy organization, included the proposed extension in its list of the country's most wasteful highway boondoggles.

But the extension has fans, among them the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, a think tank whose board members include representatives of the construction industry and labor unions. The Institute issued a report late last month arguing that the extension would add jobs and improve quality of life for Lake County residents.

The Institute also did a poll, which found that 66 percent of 400 voters surveyed favored the extension – support that only dropped two percentage points when voters were told the cost.

Fox Lake Mayor Donny Schmit said in an email that he favors the extension, and thinks it will help development.

"It seems that the opposition and support for the extension is geographical," wrote Schmit. "Those in the path of the extension are opposed and those at the terminus are in favor."

One opponent in the path is Hawthorn Woods Mayor Joe Mancino, who said the extension would actually increase traffic by bringing new development and more cars. His other objection is that the road would be built through an environmentally sensitive area – the Indian Creek Wetland Complex.

Rozek said that the Tollway has heard from consultants interested in preparing an environmental impact study, though there is currently no timetable for one.

The Tollway, meanwhile, is focused the $4 billion planned widening of I-294, which was approved by the Tollway Board last month.

Volo Village President Stephen Henley said both a Route 53 extension and Route 120 improvements would be an economic boon for the region, but, "If we're not going to have 53, we want to have 120."

[Joe The Dragon]

what about O'Plaine / IL 120 under / overpass??

IL 120 / I-94 full interchange ?

US 12 upgrades???

[Henry]

Just goes to show what a big pain in the ass this really is.

[I-39]

These people need to get their head out of the sand and stop perpetuating the delusion that "improving existing roads" will solve the problem. The reason for the congestion in Lake County is that there is massive sprawl and no freeways/tollways in the central and western portions of the county (as well as Eastern McHenry) to direct traffic to. Arterials with stoplights slow down traffic. Lake County needs a free-flowing roadway to get traffic off the congested arterials.

Sadly, it looks like the Route 53 extension is dead. And traffic will suffer for decades to come as a result. 

[DeaconG]

These people need to get their head out of the sand and stop perpetuating the delusion that "improving existing roads" will solve the problem. The reason for the congestion in Lake County is that there is massive sprawl and no freeways/tollways in the central and western portions of the county (as well as Eastern McHenry) to direct traffic to. Arterials with stoplights slow down traffic. Lake County needs a free-flowing roadway to get traffic off the congested arterials.

Sadly, it looks like the Route 53 extension is dead. And traffic will suffer for decades to come as a result. 

Certain groups wanted it...now they got it. They'll spend the next 20 years doing their damndest to rewrite the story and say it isn't their fault. Of course no one will believe them...and in the meantime, the sprawl continues.

[ChiMilNet]

These people need to get their head out of the sand and stop perpetuating the delusion that "improving existing roads" will solve the problem. The reason for the congestion in Lake County is that there is massive sprawl and no freeways/tollways in the central and western portions of the county (as well as Eastern McHenry) to direct traffic to. Arterials with stoplights slow down traffic. Lake County needs a free-flowing roadway to get traffic off the congested arterials.

Sadly, it looks like the Route 53 extension is dead. And traffic will suffer for decades to come as a result. 

Certain groups wanted it...now they got it. They'll spend the next 20 years doing their damndest to rewrite the story and say it isn't their fault. Of course no one will believe them...and in the meantime, the sprawl continues.

Thank you Long Grove and Hawthorne Woods. Of course, these are the same communities that will now fight tooth and nail every attempt to widen roadways through their towns. You can't win with these places. They think they are in the country, and they haven't been for about 40-50 years now.

[I-90]

These people need to get their head out of the sand and stop perpetuating the delusion that "improving existing roads" will solve the problem. The reason for the congestion in Lake County is that there is massive sprawl and no freeways/tollways in the central and western portions of the county (as well as Eastern McHenry) to direct traffic to. Arterials with stoplights slow down traffic. Lake County needs a free-flowing roadway to get traffic off the congested arterials.

Sadly, it looks like the Route 53 extension is dead. And traffic will suffer for decades to come as a result. 

Certain groups wanted it...now they got it. They'll spend the next 20 years doing their damndest to rewrite the story and say it isn't their fault. Of course no one will believe them...and in the meantime, the sprawl continues.

Thank you Long Grove and Hawthorne Woods. Of course, these are the same communities that will now fight tooth and nail every attempt to widen roadways through their towns. You can't win with these places. They think they are in the country, and they haven't been for about 40-50 years now.

I didn't really like il 53 extension mainly because to it being a 45 mph parkway

[ChiMilNet]

These people need to get their head out of the sand and stop perpetuating the delusion that "improving existing roads" will solve the problem. The reason for the congestion in Lake County is that there is massive sprawl and no freeways/tollways in the central and western portions of the county (as well as Eastern McHenry) to direct traffic to. Arterials with stoplights slow down traffic. Lake County needs a free-flowing roadway to get traffic off the congested arterials.

Sadly, it looks like the Route 53 extension is dead. And traffic will suffer for decades to come as a result. 

Certain groups wanted it...now they got it. They'll spend the next 20 years doing their damndest to rewrite the story and say it isn't their fault. Of course no one will believe them...and in the meantime, the sprawl continues.

Thank you Long Grove and Hawthorne Woods. Of course, these are the same communities that will now fight tooth and nail every attempt to widen roadways through their towns. You can't win with these places. They think they are in the country, and they haven't been for about 40-50 years now.

I didn't really like il 53 extension mainly because to it being a 45 mph parkway

I agree, and sadly, it was that "compromise" that ultimately killed it. Had they left the proposal as a six lane 65 MPH tollway, it would have had more widespread support, aside from Long Grove who wasn't going to support it no matter what.

[I-90]

What a four lane parkway looks like:




Truck ban probably

[I-90]

https://capitolfax.com/2017/05/19/groups-on-both-sides-trying-to-fill-the-void-of-information-on-controversial-rt-53-extension/

This spring marks five years since backers of the Route 53 extension allowed themselves to feel a sense of optimism following the release of a Blue Ribbon Advisory Council report which endorsed construction of a four-lane "modern parkway"  with a 45-mph maximum speed and a "context sensitive"  design. [...]

But even without taking sides, it's fair to say that momentum on the Route 53 project – to use a generic name for what would actually be a Route 53 extension from Long Grove to Grayslake and a Route 120 bypass around Grayslake – is not moving in the direction of seeing the roadway turning its first spade of dirt [...]

It's also fair to observe that, if there is a current void of information regarding any progress toward Route 53 becoming reality, opponents of Route 53 have been filling it with their messaging. Periodic protests and public statements against the whole idea were echoed Tuesday with the release of a report from the consumer-watchdog United States Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), which included Route 53/120 on its third somewhat-annual list of "Highway Boondoggles"  around the country.

"Year after year, state and local governments propose billions of dollars' worth of new and expanded highways that often do little to reduce congestion or address real transportation challenges, while diverting scarce funding from infrastructure repairs and 21st century transportation priorities,"  the report states, swinging for the fences.

"These projects, some originally proposed decades ago, double down on the failed transportation strategies of the past while causing harm to local communities and absorbing scarce transportation dollars."

* Press release...

The Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Association (IRTBA) today launched a major cable, radio, and digital ad campaign supporting the Illinois Route 53 expansion project.

The campaign features IRTBA's first television advertisement of the year. "Works"  highlights the significant benefits the Route 53 expansion project will bring to Lake County.

In addition to reducing congestion and traffic, saving the average commuter 20 hours per month, the Route 53 project will boost the Lake County economy by creating up to 30,000 new full-time jobs without harming the environment.

"The Route 53 project will enhance the quality of life for residents of Lake County by creating new full-time jobs and reducing traffic so residents have more time to spend with their families,"  IRTBA President & CEO Michael Sturino said.

8 Comments »
- Northsider - Friday, May 19, 17 @ 1:39 pm:

The ad itself, C. It's an average advocacy spot.

The content is, well, two initials. A major highway expansion that won't hurt the environment? Please; that's utter nonsense.

Besides, induced demand will choke the 53 extension – just like it will the Toll Authority's widening of the Tri-State and the Illiana (God forbid it should ever be built).

The better, smarter options are to invest in transit and making it easier for people to get around without cars. Even more importantly, reduce sprawl by ending the spatial mismatch of jobs and homes; change suburban zoning codes that force the segregation of housing, retail/commercial and other uses.

More highways = more traffic = more pollution.


- Responsa - Friday, May 19, 17 @ 1:47 pm:

Failure to adequately gauge and plan for the traffic patterns, population shift trends and economic engines of the future has been a frequent mistake both by regional entities and local governments. The Gary Airport pipe dream of course was a boondoggle of the first order and recognized as such by any sentient being. This Lake County Route 53 extension on the other hand does not really seem to fall into the boondoggle category.


- phocion - Friday, May 19, 17 @ 1:57 pm:

CMAP put Route 53 extension at the top of its high priority projects. This is an agency that fought the Illiana tooth and nail, so their endorsement of 53 means a lot more than the typical PIRG knee-jerk reaction against any highway construction. Lake County needs this project if it expects to remain competitive.


- Not It - Friday, May 19, 17 @ 2:00 pm:

Lake County's transportation infrastructure is abysmal, stemming from Senator Geo Karris not allowing the county to be included in a county motor fuel tax.


- cover - Friday, May 19, 17 @ 2:03 pm:

I'm with Northsider.


- DuPage - Friday, May 19, 17 @ 2:49 pm:

-@ Northsider - Friday, May 19, 17 @ 1:39 pm:
===More highways = more traffic = more pollution.===

No. Not enough highways = traffic jams and stop and go traffic = more pollution.

More highways where needed = less stop and go = less pollution.

Cars give off more pollution stopping and starting then traveling at a steady speed.


- Realistic out west - Friday, May 19, 17 @ 2:52 pm:

It's great Northsider walks to work, is a great seamstress who has cotton and wool along with food grown in his back yard, on top of outstanding carpentry skills to build his housing from the trees he cut from his back yard for his crops, because he obviously is self sustaining. Me, I live west nowhere near transit, don't grow my own food and buy my clothes and can't operate a hammer. I also have friends around the 9-county area, shop from brick and mortar to invigorate the economy and love the freedom of my car but hate to sit in idling traffic incfreasing polution.


- Amalia - Friday, May 19, 17 @ 3:22 pm:

Add a solid B. transit planning like this— more please! the take public transportation and ride a bike crowd does not seem to understand that the core of jobs in the Chicago area has been moving north and west of O'Hare for quite some time now and there is a strong need to get to the jobs. this addresses that need. People want the freedom of a car. People also need to move easily to doctors appointments and for some conditions, staying out of public transportation is a must. I avoid driving in central Chicago as much as possible because of all the goofy parking lane, bus platform, and bike lane approach that has stalled commerce in the form of car movement.someone smart should look at bottlenecks and address them. the public would be thrilled. traffic flowing well would not just reduce time wasted, but anxiety and rode rage.

[I-90]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/opinion/ct-lns-moran-route-120-morris-st-0520-20170519-story.html

The last time I remember seeing former state senator/Waukegan mayor/Illinois Tollway board member Bill Morris, it was in September of 2015 at a Liveable Lake County event that focused on one of his historically favorite topics: Opposition to the Route 53 extension.

The last time I got an email from Bill Morris, it was this week after I wrote a column on Wednesday, May 17, about a sidebar to that topic: The construction of a Route 120 bypass, which would come with a Route 53 extension.

"I appreciate your column on Route 120/53," he began, "since it opens the door to outline the common sense plan for Route 120, not the 1950s plan that is outdated as gas guzzling cars."

For the uninitiated, Route 120 is one of Lake County's key east-west arterials. Considering it runs the entire length of the county and then some, it could be argued that it is the most important east-west roadway, but what is beyond argument is that Route 120 goes to hell between Wildwood and Lakemoor, where it narrows to two lanes for nine long miles.

The Long Grove-to-Grayslake Route 53 extension that has been talked about since America liked Ike would include a four-lane Route 120 roughly between Almond Road and Route 12, running on a path parallel to and south of the current roadway.

As you might have gathered from the earlier quote, Bill Morris is no fan of either idea, and not just because the whole package would cost in the neighborhood of $2.65 billion. His basic argument: Route 120 needs to go it alone – and not be constrained by the bypass design.

"There is NO need to re-route Route 120 from Wildwood a bit south through the Almond Marsh and behind the Jewel Store in Grayslake and about 1/2 mile south of existing Route 120 near the Madrona (Village) neighborhood just west of Hainesville with a new $400 million highway.

"The concept of relocating highways for hundreds of millions of dollars and then leaving the old highway in service doubling the cost to maintain both, etc. is just simply outdated and not affordable and environmentally damaging."

The last time I remember seeing former state senator/Waukegan mayor/Illinois Tollway board member Bill Morris, it was in September of 2015 at a Liveable Lake County event that focused on one of his historically favorite topics: Opposition to the Route 53 extension.

The last time I got an email from Bill Morris, it was this week after I wrote a column on Wednesday, May 17, about a sidebar to that topic: The construction of a Route 120 bypass, which would come with a Route 53 extension.

"I appreciate your column on Route 120/53," he began, "since it opens the door to outline the common sense plan for Route 120, not the 1950s plan that is outdated as gas guzzling cars."

For the uninitiated, Route 120 is one of Lake County's key east-west arterials. Considering it runs the entire length of the county and then some, it could be argued that it is the most important east-west roadway, but what is beyond argument is that Route 120 goes to hell between Wildwood and Lakemoor, where it narrows to two lanes for nine long miles.


The Long Grove-to-Grayslake Route 53 extension that has been talked about since America liked Ike would include a four-lane Route 120 roughly between Almond Road and Route 12, running on a path parallel to and south of the current roadway.

As you might have gathered from the earlier quote, Bill Morris is no fan of either idea, and not just because the whole package would cost in the neighborhood of $2.65 billion. His basic argument: Route 120 needs to go it alone – and not be constrained by the bypass design.


"There is NO need to re-route Route 120 from Wildwood a bit south through the Almond Marsh and behind the Jewel Store in Grayslake and about 1/2 mile south of existing Route 120 near the Madrona (Village) neighborhood just west of Hainesville with a new $400 million highway.

"The concept of relocating highways for hundreds of millions of dollars and then leaving the old highway in service doubling the cost to maintain both, etc. is just simply outdated and not affordable and environmentally damaging."


Instead, Morris agreed with some of my suggested upgrades to Route 120 and surrounding roadways, and had some suggestions of his own, springboarding off of concepts in a $60.53 million package detailed earlier this week in a Chicago Tribune report.

"The lion's share of the congestion problems on Route 120 can be resolved using the existing right of way with additional lanes, larger and longer turning bays, (and) an underpass at Route 120 and Route 83 where the railroad tracks create a massive, frustrating and dangerous bottleneck for people going to and coming home from work.

"The first step is the roughly $60 million plan which would widen and create turning bays along existing Route 120 from Wildwood (Almond Road) west to Alleghany (Road), including an underpass at the Route 120 and 83 railroad tracks. Even though the underpass would absorb the lion's share of the cost, this budget would likely allow some land and turning bay additions west of Alleghany.


"The second step would be to address Route 120 west of Alleghany to Fish Lake Road in Volo. This phase would likely include an underpass and reconfiguration on Route 120 at the Metra tracks in Hainesville just west of Hainesville Road. Back-of-the-envelope numbers on this have not yet been developed, but would likely be a bit less than the first phase."

Yes, Morris would like to see not one but two railroad underpasses. Even as narrow as Route 120's footprint is through Grayslake, go visit Rollins Road at Route 83 in Round Lake Beach if you want to see how dramatically even one underpass can change the traffic culture in a overloaded area.

Morris wrapped up his thoughts by recalling that Route 120 was once "the subject of grand plans for a Waukegan-Richmond-Lake Geneva Expressway." He maintains that in 2017, even basic upgrades like additional turn lanes – have you ever crawled through the nearly turn-lane devoid intersection of Route 120 and Hainesville Road? – could make a world of difference.

"Now, we have a reasonable plan that has a realistic price tag and would serve central Lake County well for the next 50 years or more," he wrote. "Let's hope our Lake-McHenry County Legislators of both parties can come together and make upgrading Route 120 their joint highest priority, just as our Legislators did in the late 1960s and 1970s to secure funding to purchase the Chain of Lakes State Park and build the Waukegan marina."

danmoran@tribpub.com

Twitter @NewsSunDanMoran

[I-90]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/opinion/ct-lns-moran-route-120-improvements-st-0517-20170516-story.html

If you've lived in central Lake County long enough, you've seen the vacant corridors of land set aside – in some cases, directly through subdivisions like Cambridge West in Mundelein – for a Route 53 extension that has never filled, and might never fill, the gaps.

While Route 53's empty promises are conspicuous for motorists driving by them on Route 60/83 or Hawley Street, there's another corridor of highway-wide land that also carves its way through a neighborhood but is more hidden from the general public: The would-be path of the Route 120 bypass through the Madrona Village subdivision in Round Lake.

Running east-west a little less than a half-mile south of the existing Route 120, this hallway of overgrown grass and dandelions is overseen by the backyards of about 60 homes built in the 21st century, or on the far end of the generational debate over what everyone simply calls "Route 53."

As pointed out previously in this space, it is most accurate to refer to that (officially estimated) $2.3 billion to $2.65 billion proposal as the Route 53/120 project, because it would involve not only a north-south extension of Route 53 from Long Grove to Grayslake but also an east-west bypass for Route 120 from Wildwood to Volo.

As duly noted by a Chicago Tribune report this month, central Lake County leaders are pushing to do something about Route 120 even if Route 53 really is dead before arrival. If you have ever been on eastbound Route 120 between Cedar Lake Road and Mill Road during the morning rush or westbound between Route 45 and Hainesville Road during the evening rush, you know of what they speak.

And, more importantly, you have to be rooting for some kind of improvement. Any kind of improvement. The only question: Do we go big or go with something doable?

According to the Tribune, a more current package of improvements for Route 120 is estimated at $60.53 million, which would include a grade separation for the CN tracks, which sit just west of the disastrous intersection of Routes 120 and 83.

Considering that a grade separation at the CN tracks a mile-and-a-half up the line at Washington Street cost $35 million in 2015 dollars, we can assume a good chunk of that $60-plus million would be devoted to one task.

As someone who is often stuck on Route 120 on not only weekdays but also perfectly dry weekends, my solution – if money and private-property and wetland concerns were not insurmountable objects – would involve some combination of the following:

Put in a railroad bridge over Route 120 for the CN tracks: Duh, as the Young People have said since at least the 1970s.

Connect Atkinson Road with Route 83 in Grayslake: Atkinson was extended one whole half-mile from Route 120 to Route 137 in 2013, which is great, but real relief for the Route 120/83 intersection would allow truck traffic to use Atkinson to avoid that crossroad entirely and get to Route 83 south of the CN tracks.

Connect Lake Street to Alleghany Road in Grayslake: Lake Street is the gateway to the Milwaukee District North Metra station, but it basically dead-ends there, forcing south and westbound traffic to head back to Route 120 or meander through a nearby subdivision. A safe link west to Alleghany would take a chunk of commuter traffic off Route 120.

Extend Hainesville Road south to connect with something other than just Route 120 in Hainesville: As it is, you have a T-intersection that is mobbed with traffic nearly seven days a week.

Extend Townline Road in Round Lake east from Amarias Drive to Alleghany: Three different subdivisions with hundreds if not thousands of cars would have direct, non-Route 120 access to both the Grayslake Metra station or to the Tri-State Tollway via the recently improved Peterson Road on the south.

As for that aforementioned corridor of land in Round Lake that waits in vain to accommodate a bypass, many things have been built near it during the years of waiting, including a K-through-8 school and several parks. Public projects that hesitate can be lost.

Even projects that would have fewer property and environmental hurdles to jump would still have to come up with the funding in a state that is in a bit of a financial pickle. If the Route 53 concept is in the same limbo it's always been in, Route 120 might be right there with it.

[ChiMilNet]

It looks like the Tollway doesn't think this is quite dead yet. Very interesting, and I did not expect to see this given the recent developments.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-tollway-committee-approves-25million-study-route-53-20170522-story.html

An Illinois Tollway board committee on Monday approved spending $25 million to study a long-debated and controversial extension of Illinois Route 53 north into Lake County.

The Customer Service and Planning Committee recommended awarding the environmental impact study project to two engineering firms – CH2M Hill and Knight E/A Inc., based in Englewood, Colo., and Chicago, respectively. Both have worked with the Tollway before.

The contract will go before the full Tollway board for a vote Thursday, when it is likely to be approved.

Board Chair Robert Schillerstrom said in a statement Monday that the analysis will provide a "fact based evaluation on alternatives that achieve the most congestion relief while balancing environmental impact."

[Joe The Dragon]

It looks like the Tollway doesn't think this is quite dead yet. Very interesting, and I did not expect to see this given the recent developments.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-tollway-committee-approves-25million-study-route-53-20170522-story.html

An Illinois Tollway board committee on Monday approved spending $25 million to study a long-debated and controversial extension of Illinois Route 53 north into Lake County.

The Customer Service and Planning Committee recommended awarding the environmental impact study project to two engineering firms – CH2M Hill and Knight E/A Inc., based in Englewood, Colo., and Chicago, respectively. Both have worked with the Tollway before.

The contract will go before the full Tollway board for a vote Thursday, when it is likely to be approved.

Board Chair Robert Schillerstrom said in a statement Monday that the analysis will provide a "fact based evaluation on alternatives that achieve the most congestion relief while balancing environmental impact."

Will trump kill the EPA and maybe then we can get an Richmond bypass as well? How much they pull in with that at $0.25-$0.50 I-PASS cars?

Can we get a us-12 plan B?

[Henry]

Between this and the Illiana (Burnham) Expressway, I'd be pleasantly surprised if either one got built out eventually.

[ajlynch91]

In its current, four lane, 45mph "parkway" "livable" design, it cannot meet the requirements the road faces to ease congestion and promote economic development in the western part of Lake County. It's pure fantasy. Until the project is redesigned to a 6 lane freeway with a minimum 60 mph speed, I can't support the county hiking gas taxes, further tolling the Tri-State, and most ridiculously, taking property tax dollars from municipalities and business along the new road to pay for it. Lake County has far more pressing concerns, in my opinion, like the aforementioned 120, and all the other two lane state routes that are nearly impassable for 12 hours of the day due to a combination of two lane roads, and the ridiculous number of level crossings in the county.

[I-39]

The question is, if they built it as a proper six lane tollway, would it generate enough revenue to pay for itself? I've heard people claim it won't.