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Illinois Department of Transportation Office of the Secretary 2300 South Dirksen Parkway Springfield, Illinois 62764 December 24, 2002 Honorable Dan Cronin Dear Senator Cronin: We are writing to summarize recent discussions with yourself and the villages of Glen Ellyn and Lombard concerning the Illinois Route 53 project from Illinois Route 64 (North Avenue) to Illinois Route 38 (Roosevelt Road). We have reviewed the information provided by Glen Ellyn and their consultant, and the additional suggestions forwarded by Lombard in their letter dated September 10, 2002. We are confident that our projection of future traffic volumes in the Route 53 corridor, which is based on regionally accepted methods, is accurate and appropriate. However, we also recognize the potential benefits to Illinois Route 53 traffic operations with the recent right-in, right-out access modifications implemented at Harrison Road and Madison Street. Due to those factors, the department will remove all design engineering, land acquisition and construction funding from our five-year program for the section of Illinois Route 53 south of St. Charles Road to Roosevelt Road. The department supports the recommendations made by the villages of Glen Ellyn and Lombard to control access south of St. Charles Road through the sue of left-turn restrictions. Both villages should continue to pursue their recommendations to ensure acceptable operations along this segment of Illinois Route 53. From North Avenue to St. Charles Road the department plans to proceed with pavement reconstruction to provide two lanes in each direction separated by a painted median (non-barrier). With the planned improvements at the North Avenue and St. Charles Road intersections to improve safety and reduce congestion, and the reconstruction of Illinois Route 53 to lower the profile across the Great Western Trail, only a short two-lane section of Illinois Route 53 would remain in between. Traffic conflicts presented by this short remaining bottleneck area are a safety concern, particularly considering the projected growth in traffic volumes in this area. The proposed improvement will remove this short two-lane section of Illinois Route 53 and include the installations of a painted median to allow left-turn capability at all intersections between North Avenue and St. Charles Road. In response to the village of Lombard’s expressed interest in possible traffic signal at Meadow Lane, we will schedule traffic counts for this intersection and review whether traffic signal warrants are met. We will provide the results of this review to the village via separate correspondence as soon as they become available. The Illinois Route 53 project is being processed in accordance with federal regulations in order to ensure this project is eligible for federal cost participation. Federal regulations require the completion of Phase I engineering and environmental studies based on logical termini. Based on coordination that has occurred with the Federal Highway Administration, North Avenue and Roosevelt Road were determined to be the logical termini for this project. In order to ensure that construction between North Avenue and St. Charles Road is eligible for federal funds, the department must complete the Phase I engineering and environmental studies for the ultimate Illinois Route 53 design from North Avenue to Roosevelt Road. However, as we noted earlier, although we will complete the Phase I engineering and environmental studies, we will remove all funding for design, land acquisition and construction from our five-year program for the section of Illinois Route 53 south of St. Charles Road. If in the future (beyond the five-year program) (note to reader: Note this is not "five years from now" but "beyond the then current five-year funding program 2002-2006. A new five-year funding program starts each year, we are currently under the 2004-2008) the department proposes to add the section of Illinois Route 53 from St. Charles Road to Roosevelt Road into our program, a re-evaluation of the Phase I study would be prepared at that time, which would include coordination with Glen Ellyn and Lombard. The department is committed to enhancing the use of context sensitive principles in our project development process. If and when the unfunded sections of Illinois Route 53 are included in a future highway improvement program, these principles will be applied throughout the development of the project. (This means if Route 53 were to enter a phase I redesign for Roosevelt to Butterfield, and only if the plans expire from St. Charles Road to Roosevelt.)The completion of the Phase I study includes proceeding to a Public Hearing for the entire section. The Public Hearing would include information indicating that the area south of St. Charles Road is not funded in our (2002-2006) five-year program. It should be noted that completion of Phase I engineering between Roosevelt Road and Butterfield Road was not necessary because the department will not be doing any work within those limits. In addition to the work currently planned, if the village of Lombard should decide in the future to revert to full access at Madison Street and/or Harrison Street and desire independent intersection improvements at those locations, the department would consider participating in the funding of such a project provided the village of Lombard was the lead agency. Thank you for your continued interest in the Illinois Route 53 corridor. Sincerely, Kirk Brown Cc Senator James "Pate" Philip |
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