The Illinois Tollway is conducting an Open House on the Proposed Route 53 Extension (Now known as the “Tri-County Access Project”)

WHEN:
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Between 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

WHERE:
Concorde Banquet Hall
20922 N. Rand Road
Kildeer, Illinois

The Illinois Tollway is holding an open house “to provide an overview” of plans regarding the Route 53 extension (recently rebranded as the Tri-County Access Project) and potential alternatives. This is part of the Tollway’s renewed effort to complete an Environmental Impact Statement on the Route 53 Extension, which began earlier this year. There will be no formal speeches or presentations at this open house.

Mayor Joseph Mancino and the Village Board of Trustees ask all residents to attend this open house and fill out a comment card, so that our voices are heard all the way to the Federal Highway Administration. This is how we have defeated the Route 53 Extension in the past, and it’s the key to doing it again. As long as we demonstrate that there is no consensus in favor of the extension, the Tollway will have a very hard time obtaining the political license to build it.

In Hawthorn Woods, the proposed Route 53 extension would be devastating to our quality of life, and we believe there are simpler, more cost-effective methods to relieving local traffic congestion. For instance, we support grade separation of the railroad tracks at Gilmer and Old McHenry, and the expansion of existing east-west roads (like Routes 83, 45, and 120) where traffic congestion is thickest.

However, we do not support an expressway or Tollway through the middle of Hawthorn Woods. The Route 53 Extension could contaminate our well water with salt spray runoff, subject our families to air pollution, disturb our peace and quiet with truck traffic noise throughout the day and night, endanger our dark skies initiative for migratory birds and insects, and impact our residents financially with higher tolls and taxes. Altogether, it would permanently change the rural lifestyle of Hawthorn Woods.

Please keep in mind that our biggest adversary in this fight is not the Illinois Tollway. It’s complacency. We can’t afford to assume that, just because the Route 53 Extension has never been built before, it can’t happen now. The project has never been built, because our residents made their voices heard, and that’s what we need to do again.

Please stop by the open house and fill out a comment card. Our voices need to be heard. Now is the time to make your opinion count!