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Route
53 Tollway Still a Possible Threat to Preserve
The
80-acre Almond Marsh Nature Preserve lies directly in the
path of the proposed 25-mile Route 53 Tollway in Lake County,
Illinois. The preserve’s wetland and sedge-meadow complex
is home to the state-endangered yellow-headed blackbird,
the black-crowned night-heron and the threatened pied-billed
grebe. "There is also a heron rookery, which is a breeding
ground for the sandhill crane, that would be destroyed,"
says Betsy Dietel, executive director of the Liberty
Prairie Conservancy.
The
road proposal, long opposed by conservationists, may have
finally bitten the dust. The Illinois
State Toll Highway Authority has admitted that it does
not have the money to build the Route 53 Tollway. At $1.8
billion, the tollway proposal would further worsen the financial
plight of the Toll Authority, which is already struggling
to muster the funds necessary to maintain its existing system.
"I’m
one of the thousands of people who have been opposed to
the road all along," said Lake
County Board Member Martha Marks. "The promised funding
for the tollway was never nearly enough, and now the state
is finally saying that there’s not enough money. We’re
hoping money will be put into our local roads instead, where
the focus should have been all along," she said.
According
to the Environmental Law
& Policy Center (ELPC), the draft Environmental
Impact Statement indicates that local improvements would
provide the best solution to help alleviate traffic congestion
in Lake County more quickly, with less damage to the environment,
less pressure for sprawl, and less drain on state coffers
than the Route 53 Tollway. The ELPC Web site includes a
map of the proposed route and reports on "Crossroads:
Smart Transportation Options for Lake County." You can
also download the "Citizens’
Plan for Transportation Improvements in Lake County, Illinois,"
prepared by Lane Kendig of Lane Kendig, Inc.
However,
conservationists are concerned that construction may still
be approved. "The situation is urgent," said Susan Zingle,
executive director of the Lake County Conservation Alliance.
"The governor will make a decision on whether to continue
the proposed study during the current legislative session.
The time to act is now," she added. Visit the Illinois
Action Project to send Governor Ryan a message, or contact
him at (312) 814-2121.
—
Amy Reavis Sinn
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