You can follow the average daily traffic counts on IDOT's site.  Just zoom in to IL Rte 53 and you'll see the aadt.

IDOT holds Public Hearing on north section of Route 53

By Ray Ribich

The long-planned Public Hearing on the Roosevelt Road to North Avenue segment of Route 53 was held at Park View Elementary School in Lombard on August 19. IDOT was very well prepared, as usual. Four fully marked aerial charts in large scale were displayed throughout the school's meeting hall, covering the entire stretch from Roosevelt Road to North Avenue. It was open house format.  Recently appointed District 1 chief engineer Diane O'Keefe was present, along with consulting project head Jarrod Cebulski and a number of other engineers. The half hour automated powerpoint presentation gave due credit to the Lombard neighbors who presented their requests for modification of the plan over the six month period from November 2003 through April 2004. From St. Charles to North, the landscaped median, bike path modifications, and 11 foot inner lanes were all suggested by the reps of north Lombard, with Mary Kaufman acting as liaison through 53 Neighbors United, and were incorporated into IDOT's plan.

The traffic numbers were consistent with recent measurements, but the difficulty still remains in IDOT's inflated projections to 2020, which will become the potential justification for future expansion.  Of concern also was IDOT's insistence on their policy of not even considering a 3-lane design for a state highway that has over 17,500 Average Daily Trips (ADT).This policy could change, particularly if further funding to cover the St. Charles to Roosevelt stretch is long delayed.

My perspective from over four years of activity in this area was that this was decidedly different IDOT than the one citizens confronted with objections to the original plan in 2000 and 2001. The passage of CSS (Context Sensitive Design) legislation may have been crucial in this regard. Consulting engineer Doug Knuth put it well when he said, "You know, the residents presented a lot of things; and when we worked some of it into the plan, we really liked it on our side of the table, too."

IDOT CSS coordinator Mike Moss and Illinois Secretary of Transportation Tim Martin may have influenced engineers to put their most citizen-friendly face forward. That may make them appear more supportive of CSS than they are at heart. But there's no question that change is beginning in IDOT, with more of the engineers that are more open to and understanding of the wider perspective being allowed to have more decision-making power.

Large credit goes to Mary Kaufman and the Lombard citizens who participated in the discussions. When the engineers told 53 Neighbors United in April that "we could not promote the changes any further up in the organization" the alarm bells went off. But the appointment of present chief engineer, O'Keefe, was then crucial. She had been instrumental in working with Kendall County citizens on the prairie parkway initiative, and is a proponent of CSS, which involves working substantively with and considering citizens' views and desires.  

Citizens have until September 2 to get their comments onto the public record.

Consult www.cssforum.org/il53 for further details.

8/22/2004  

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