General skip this section
Please indicate which section of the
project you live in.
Please select a choice
1. North Ave. to St. Charles Rd.
2. St. Charles Rd. to Roosevelt Rd.
3. Roosevelt Rd. to Butterfield Rd.
4. Butterfield Rd. to Osage Rd.
5. I live outside the project area
Did you attend the public
hearing for the section of Illinois Route 53 from North Avenue to
Roosevelt Road?
Please select a choice
Yes
No
Did you give comments to IDOT
at the hearing or shortly after?
Please select a choice
Yes
No
How do you feel about the
design that went to public hearing?
Please select a choice
Stongly like it
Like it but would have preferred a different design
Neither like nor dislike it
Dislike it, but can accept it.
Strongly dislike it
No opinion/don't know what design is
Section 1 (North Ave. to St. Charles Rd.)skip this section
Background Information In August 2004 a public
hearing was held to present the results of Phase I design.
Construction is funded for the section from North Avenue to St. Charles Road
and for the bridge over the East Branch of the DuPage river (just west of
I-355 underpass). Construction could begin in 2006.
The current plan widens the road, which is two to four lanes at various
points, to four-lane divided highway from North Avenue to Roosevelt Road, with
two lanes in each direction separated by a median that would serve as a
left-turn lane at some intersections. In Lombard the median will be 12
feet wide and vegetated. In Glen Ellyn, due to space restrictions, it
will be only 6 feet wide.
Based on input from 53 Neighbors United, residents, and local officials the
number of turn opportunities has been increased. Left-turn lanes are now
planned at Spring Avenue and DuPage Boulevard/Baker Hill Drive in Glen Ellyn,
at both ends of Parkview Boulevard in Lombard and at Lombard's Madison Street,
St. Charles Road, Meadow Avenue, Pleasant Lane, North Avenue and at the hotel
entrance just south of North Avenue. Additionally there would be U-turn
cutouts in the median near Wilson Avenue and south of the Union Pacific
Railroad overpass. Bryant Avenue in Glen Ellyn will be restricted to
right turns only. New Traffic signals are planned at Surrey Drive,
Madison Avenue, and Meadow Avenue.
Sidewalks and off-road bike paths are planned
for Route 53. Sidewalks will be five feet wide and set back from the
road five feet. Bicycle paths will be 8 to 12 feet wide and will connect
the Great Western Trail and Illinois Prairie Path.
During phase II design,
amenities such as sidewalks, bike paths, street lighting and landscaping
will be finalized. Which of these issues concern you the most?
Section I goes to construction
in 2008 according to IDOT. Homeowners will begin to be approached
concerning land acquisition in late 2006/ early 2007. What part of this
process concerns you the most?
Please select a choice
Land acquisition
Construction
During land acquisition these
are the likely issues that will arise. Please choose which issues are of
most concern to you.
During construction these
are the likely issues that will arise. Please choose which issues are of
most concern to you.
Relative to your property which
of the following are you most concerned is prevented during construction?
Section 2 (St. Charles Rd.
to Roosevelt Rd.) skip this section
Background information
In the section of the Illinois Route 53 from St. Charles
to Roosevelt Road, no funding for construction is currently earmarked
other than for land acquisition and some minor repairs. This was part of
the Kirk Brown/NIFTI agreement to delay construction by taking it out of
the then current five year funding plan. That part of the agreement
expires as of Summer 2008. A new five-year plan begins every year. When
the section will actively begin construction is not clear. However, if
money is found in the 2008 to 20012 plan, construction could go forward
because phase I design would have been completed and possibly some of
phase II design.
Which of the following issues
concern you the most?
What are your future concerns
for the project?
Section 3 (Roosevelt Rd. to
Butterfield Rd.) skip this section
Background information
This section of Illinois Route 53 has been completely
dropped. To date, there are no expansion plans for this section of
the road.
Are you satisfied with the way
Illinois Route 53 functions in this section?
Please select a choice
Very satisified
Somewhat satisfied
Neutral
Somewhat dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
If you are not totally
satisified with how the road functions, what kind of improvements would
you like to see?
What are your biggest concerns
for this section?
If a road redesign were done,
what would your biggest concerns about the redesign be?
What would you expect a
Neighborhood Coalition to try to achieve by working with IDOT, government
agencies and neighbors, IF AND ONLY IF IDOT approaches our section
again?
Section 4 (Butterfield Rd. to Osage
Rd.) skip this
section
Background information
IDOT currently has two alternatives for the Route 53. One
keeps the road on the same path as it is now, but elevates it by 4 to 8
feet. Concrete walls now align the roadway as retaining and safety walls.
They are ten feet high and no sidewalks or bike paths. Access would be
restricted, no vegetation as the road would be elevated. It is four lanes
divided.
The other alternative is not a raised road but one shifted
significantly to the west. It would have swales and a multipurpose bike
and pedestrian path. There would be no concrete retaining walls.
The advantages of the raised road alternative is that
fewer homes would be taken. More preservation of the trees and wetland
vegetation that the restoration works done by the county.
The disadvantages would be: no pedestrian or bike access,
no landscaping, limited access in some cases and steeper driveways,
rerouting of traffic would need to occur during construction, and the view
of Hidden Lake and the Arboretum might be limited.
The advantage of the shifted westward road would be:
people could use the old Route 53 while the new one was being constructed.
Disadvantages of the shifted westward road would be: more
home takings, a road closer to homes so it would be louder, more
destruction of trees and other vegetation.
IDOT has not promised sidewalks on the Valley View side.
IDOT has not promised any restoration work in the area next to the Hidden
Lake Forest Preserve. IDOT has not promised in EITHER scenario an
improvement of the flooding.
IDOT has not yet met with retailers to straighten out road
access problems at Butterifield and 53. The Butterfield intersection
is a concern since Butterfield road is being expanded to six lanes. It
will be similar to other major intersections like North Avenue and
Bloomingdale Road in Glen Ellyn
For more information please refer to the Valley View
May 17, 2006 Meeting Notes .
Which issues concern you the
most about this section of Route 53?
What issues concern you the
most for this area in general?
Do you feel the
road needs to be upgraded?
Please select a choice
Yes
No
No, only resurfacing is necessary
The design I would
prefer for this section of the road is:
Please select a choice
The raised road alternative
The shifted westward alternative
No preference
Neither, the road should not be improved
IDOT plans to hold
public hearing in late Summer and Fall 2006. Do you plan to attend
these hearings?
Please select a choice
Yes, both hearings
Yes, at least one hearing
No, I don't plan to go
Undecided
Would you be satisfied if the
road wasn't improved, but improvements in sidewalks, bicycle paths,
flooding abatement, and access to shopping were achieved?
Please select a choice
Yes
No
It would depend on the improvements
Incorporation as
a not-for-profit organization
Background Information
53 Neighbors United feels that this project is going on
much longer than people originally thought it would. We have
observed that IDOT has a history of trying to outlast residents on
projects where they encounter opposition. Along the project
corridor, as many as 25% of the residents have already turned over in some
neighborhoods. What has gone on in the past concerning route 53 is in the
hands of a VERY few people. These people who have already worked hard on
this project as a volunteer for 6 years know three things.
This fight isn’t over yet.
IDOT is not backing off
Much of the corridor needs better political strength.
53 Neighbors United feels they could best serve the
community when incorporated as a not-for-profit. A not-for-profit
status would open up the possibility of getting grant money to support
neighborhood improvements and would provide accountability to residents.
An example of what a not-for-profit could do for you is to
get sidewalks and restoration monies to hire the firms needed to make sure
the work gets done. Other things we could do are
Provide a safe routes to school assembly for the Glenbard
Schools. This would talk about safe driving, safe walking, safe biking
and how to use the unique design solutions.
Lobby Pace to launch pilot mass transit projects along
the corridor
Represent your concerns with IDOT over the road expansion
issues.
Hire consultant firms to do restoration work
Find the funding to do the 50% match through grants for
sidewalks and multipurpose paths in unincorporation areas
Keep up with the latest research on road design and
technical issues that would help with noise abatement, pollution
Lobby for laws to restrict trucking through residential
neighborhoods when there are close by alternative routes.
Do you think a not-for-profit
could provide value to you?
Please select a choice
Yes
No
Not sure
Would you like a not-for-profit
to be put into place to monitor the Illinois Route 53 corridor and help
residents with their transportation and quality of life concerns?
Please select a choice
Yes
No
What would you like to see a
not-for-profit agency do for you?
What concerns would you have
about forming a not-for-profit agency?
There is every reason to
believe that the entire corridor of Route 53 from North Avenue to Park
Blvd will take another 10 years to complete. If a not-for-profit agency
were available, how long do you think they should be active in
representing residential concerns and lobbying for improved transportation
services and providing educational and ecological programs?
Please select a choice
Only until the currently planned and funded sections are complete
Until the entire project is complete
As long as it is doing a good job and there are issues to pursue
What if you could get a
professional organization working for you? Would you be interested in
supporting and even serving in some capacity for this not-for-profit?
Please select a choice
Yes
No
It would depend on the organization
A Not-For-Profit (NFP) would
need member dues support. For that they would get a bi-annual newsletter,
a vote in the annual meeting on different issues, a chance to voice their
concerns and add new items to the agenda, and a chance to sit on one of
the working committees. How much do you think membership fees should be?
Please select a choice
$10/year
$15/year
$20/year
There shouldn't be dues
The board ideally would have
neighborhood representatives from each of the four sections and also have
a professional component. Some examples are elected officials, political,
economic and marketing analysts, transportation professionals and other
experts like hydrologists and ecologists, maybe even realtors. How do you
feel about this board composition?
Please select a choice
It should be all residents
It should be all professionals
It should be a mix of both residents and professionals
I don't know
To get grants to run a
not-for-profit to
its best potential, some work projects would have to be done related to
transportation issues. Which of the following would most interest you?
How many paid professionals
should be on staff?
Please select a choice
None
One
Two or three
Four or five
As many as needed
If you support the idea of
having paid professionals on staff, what profession(s) should they
include?
Contact
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