Letter to the Editor: Kill Route 53 Extension

The following letter was written and submitted by Bill Morris.

Hopefully Governor Rauner and the Illinois Department of Transportation have the good common sense and courage to kill the Rt. 53 extension project right now. The proposal to extend Rt. 53 from Lake-Cook Road just over 12-miles to central Lake County has a price tag of more than $2-billion. The State of Illinois doesn’t even have enough money to take care of its existing roads and bridges, the Tollway has no money to build Rt. 53 without another big toll increase and the environment simply cannot tolerate the damage this road would inflict. The Rt. 53 extension was first proposed in 1963 and has been studied to death.

The proposed Rt. 53 extension would have a 45 miles per hour speed limit on a 12 mile parkway with the highest tolls in Illinois.

Those in favor of the road often say that 76% of the voters in Lake County approved a referendum in favor of extending Rt. 53. They didn’t say that a Lake County referendum for a countywide tax for highways was soundly defeated by the voters. If they don’t have the courage to kill the project, rather than spend millions more on studies, run an honest referendum asking Lake County voters if they will support a 4-cent per gallon tax increase, higher tolls in Lake County and a systemwide toll increase to extend Rt. 53. The voters will give you a clear answer.

No other County in Illinois has been asked to levy a local tax to pay for part of the Tollway as is being proposed for the Rt. 53 extension.

Stop the foolish spending on studies now and drop plans for the Rt. 53 extension. The consultants can find other work.

Bill Morris

Grayslake