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               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.

June 10th, 2004

Ms. Diane O’Keefe, P.E.

District Engineer

Illinois Department of Transportation

201 West Center Court

Schaumburg, Illinois 60196

Dear Ms. O’Keefe,

Congratulations on your new position as District Head in IDOT District One. We have been following your career with interest. The people in District Three have nothing but good things to say about you. We have been aware of your CSS practices in District Three and look forward to a CSS relationship with you on the Route 53 project in District One.

The mission of 53 Neighbors United is

  • To promote honest and open communication,
  • To encourage all interested parties to be in a working relationship with IDOT.
  • To promote good context design and to aid in fair treatment of the stakeholders along the route through design, communication, and compensation when needed.
  • To work not only with IDOT but promote and be in dialogue with all organizations, political or otherwise, involved in this project

Although most of the public we represent would prefer a three-lane road for Route 53, we recognize that IDOT has reservations in supporting this particular design. As a result, we are working hard to achieve design changes that would achieve the greatest public acceptance and that the DOT feels secure about to allow the highway to be the best contextual fit possible.

The main purpose of 53 Neighbors United is to facilitate communication facilitation among the public, the agencies working with IDOT on this project, our local representatives and the DOT itself. As such we will inform IDOT of any change of public or political opinion when we become aware of it. We work hard to keep all stakeholders informed as the project progresses. To that end, you will always know what is going on in 53 Neighbors United and what our concerns and agenda are. This means you may at times hear multiple points of view. We encourage all views to come to light so that we know what the public’s mindset is. We survey for new ideas. We encourage our stakeholders to send letters or call if they have a question our team leaders can not answer.

53 Neighbors United is committed to the CSS process and has been following that course since its inception with the first meeting in August 2003. Jarrod Cebulski encouraged me to put together stakeholder teams along the different corridor sections of Route 53. John Baczek has been enthusiastic and supportive. The five stakeholder teams that make up 53 Neighbors United are (Contact information is included at the end of the letter)

  • Lombard Team 1 North Avenue to St. Charles Road
  • Lombard Team 2/Dwight & Barb Payne St. Charles Road to Surrey Drive
  • Glen Ellyn Team 1/Tom Miller Surrey Drive to Roosevelt Road
  • Glen Ellyn Team 2/Chris Kaufman Roosevelt Road to Butterfield
  • Valley View Team/Ray Ribich & Lyn Refakes Butterfield Road to Osage Drive
  • Public Coordinator of the Teams Mary Ann Kaufman

There have been 10 meetings with IDOT to date since we have began discussing the contextual problems of the road and good progress has been made in changes to the design that will make Route 53 a better fit in the public’s mind. More changes are desired to improve the traffic calming and pedestrian safety potentials than are presently on the design. We are also mindful of the desire for green space, and the ecological context, especially proper plantings, in the Glen Ellyn Team 1 section. We are also concerned about noise so our work continues.

It has been a pleasure working with IDOT and we look forward to a continuing, positive, and CSS relationship concerning Route 53. Congratulations again on your new position. We, at 53 Neighbors United, wish you every success.

Sincerely,

Mary Ann Kaufman

Mary Ann Kaufman

Public Coordinator

53 Neighbors United

makaufman@sbcglobal.net

630-730-3417

 

 

Future Agendas

Our focus will be to promote citizen and politician participation in a positive format for changes, in the best spirit of CSS. Further our focus will be to be vigilant as agreements get made to insure honest adherance right through to construction.

Phase I

  • Publish a brochure in cooperation with IDOT to all the homeowners concerning the project prior to public hearing
  • Get the Lombard residents to the County Storm Water meetings
  • Promote and attend the public hearing.
  • Support the Valley View Team in their efforts through their public hearing and beyond.

Phase II

  • Continue to advocate changes in design based on our work to date and on the people’s input to the public hearing.
  • Organize those homeowners along the segments of the route most severely affected and help them get good legal aid and representation for fair compensation.
  • Continue to work with the County Storm Water Committee to help residents address back yard flooding issues.

Currently this is where our status is in regards to design agreement.

Design Items of agreement

  • Vegetated and treed medians in Lombard and Flowerfield.
  • U-turn capability with design facilities to make it easier to do so.
  • 11-foot inner lanes.
  • A light at Surrey.
  • The redesign of the Madison Intersection.

Items strongly wanted, not currently on the plans as of May 2004
  • That the road be constructed of asphalt for noise abatement related to EPA standards, for aesthetics, and cost efficiency.
  • 11(ideal)-foot outer lanes (12-foot if we must), but not 13-ft. unless off road bike trails are not possible.
  • ALL sidewalks 4.5 to 5 foot set back from the curb
  • Off road eight-foot-wide bike trails on the east side of the road
  • A traffic signal at Meadow. We hope to be able to close Glenwood to further that issue.
  • 35 mile-per-hour speed limit throughout, especially in Flowerfield due to poor line of sight.
  • The Hacker family be consulted as to landscaping their property since they are a family business cherished by the residents in Lombard.
  • Five-foot-wide wetland swale from Surrey Drive to Grove, vegetated with salt-resistant plants consistant with water quality goals, aesthetics, and this wetland area.
  • An adherence to DuPage County Storm Water Ordinances as promoted by John Noel at the meeting, especially appendix J.
  • The directing of trucks with signage to I-355 and away from Route 53 from North Avenue to Butterfield that is a heavily residential and parts of it will remain a two-lane for some time. We understand that this is not fool proof.

             

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Last modified: 09/24/11