Public Appears to Oppose Proposed Prairie Parkway
CNT conducted an analysis of public comment on the Prairie Parkway–a proposed highway in Kane and Kendall Counties in the western part of the region. Comment was collected by the Illinois Department of Transportation in 2001 and 2002 and represents over 1000 individuals and institutions. The analysis indicates strong opposition to the proposed new highway by those who might be considered potential beneficiaries; three-quarters of people living within fifteen miles of the proposed alignment oppose the project. Read the report and learn about CNT’s methodology.
Suburban Chicago News: Chicago group joins Prairie Parkway fight
By Ed Fanselow, Staff Writer
A Chicago-based watchdog group with a history of doing battle with the
Illinois Department of Transportation has joined the fight against the
proposed Prairie Parkway, saying this week that there is little public
support for the project.The group, Center for Neighborhood Technology, says that an analysis of
more than 1,100 citizen comments received by IDOT shows that 75 percent
of people living within 15 miles of the proposed highway don’t think it
should be built.IDOT officials, however, contend that the comments “are not an accurate
gauge” of overall public opinions about the parkway, which if built
would connect Interstate 88 with Interstate 80 through far western Kane
and Kendall counties.“Opponents of any project tend to make themselves far more vocal than
people who are in favor of it,” IDOT spokesman Matt Vanover said
Wednesday. “It’s undeniable that there are plenty of people with the
opposite opinion.”Vanover said that a forthcoming telephone survey about the project will
give IDOT “a far more accurate read on what people think.” The survey is
set to be completed this fall, he said.Vanover also reiterated that the current plan is hardly set in stone.
As it is envisioned now, the highway would carve a path through
Kaneville Township, Big Rock, Plano, Lisbon Center and Minooka.
But that could all change, he said.A spokesman for the advocacy group, however, said that IDOT seems set in
its ways and that the agency “hasn’t paid enough attention” to
alternative plans.“We’re not saying ‘Build it’ or ‘Don’t build it,’ ” said the spokesman,
Jacky Grimshaw. “We’re just saying that IDOT needs to review the public
comments and take the community input into account before moving ahead.”The Center for Neighborhood Technology and its subsidiary, CATSscan,
have taken issue with several projects of the Chicago Area
Transportation Study CATS, the governmental group that directs funding
to local transportation-related projects.
