Public Hearing Set for August for Longmeadow Parkway Bridge Corridor

Submission by the Kane County Division of Transportation

The Kane County Division of Transportation (KDOT) will hold a public hearing on Aug. 30 to allow those interested in attending the opportunity to review information and provide comments in regards to an Environmental Assessment (EA) Reevaluation completed on the Longmeadow Parkway Bridge Corridor

The EA has been prepared to assess the impacts of changes in the project area, new information, and new circumstances that arose after issuance of the 2002 Record of Decision and the 2009 written reevaluation.
Longmeadow Parkway is a new highway between Huntley Road/Boyer Road and Illinois Route 62 and a new bridge crossing over the Fox River in Kane County. The length of this improvement from western terminus to eastern terminus is approximately 5.6 miles, with another 3.7 miles of intersecting road improvements.

The EA was prepared pursuant to federal regulations and a public hearing will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 30 at the Holiday Inn, 495 Airport Road in Elgin.

The EA evaluates changes in impacts within the project area, including socio-economic, agricultural, historic properties, air quality, Section 4(f) resources, noise, natural resources, water quality, groundwater, floodplains, wetlands, special waste, and special lands, according to a news release from KCDOT.

The EA was posted on July 29, which also the beginning of the comment period. The EA can be viewed at the project website and is available for viewing at public facilities. Comments received through September 6 will become part of the public hearing record, according to the press release.

For a complete listing of viewing locations, visit the project website. Following the public review and comment period, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will either determine a Supplemental EIS is required based on new significant impacts or FHWA will issue a “Finding of No Significant Impact” if no new significant impacts are identified.

The public hearing on Aug. 30 will be an open house format, and interested persons may attend at anytime between 4 and 8 p.m. There will be a continuous audio-visual presentation, and the public is invited and encouraged to attend to review exhibits and comment on the EA. Attendees are encouraged to provide verbal or written testimony to a court reporter to be included in the public record and speak to KDOT and project team members on a one-on-one basis.

A public forum will be held at 6 p.m. where the public is invited to make a two-minute statement to be included in the public record