120 Corridor Planning Council takes big step tonight

Tonight at the 120 Corridor Planning Council we will make a big decision about the character of the road. But before we get to that I want to review what has happened to this point.

At the Lake County Transportation Summit in September 2005, an improved Illinois Route 120 corridor was identified as a consensus priority. The Corridor Planning Council was formed and tasked to look to the future, to 2030 and beyond, and establish the vision of what this new Illinois Route 120 corridor would be. The goal is to develop a plan that is technically feasible and will be preferred by the local communities along the corridor. This feasibility study will tell IDOT what is the locally preferred alternative and set the table for continued studies.

The project’s Purpose & Need was established and two alternatives, the No-Build Alternative (Alternative 1) and the Widening of Existing Illinois Route 120 (Alternative 2) fell short of meeting the purpose of the project and were eliminated. A decision matrix with 8 main categories and 26 total criteria was developed to help compare road character and road placement alternatives.

The four alternatives being considered represent what potential alternatives that would be both technically feasible and preferred by the local communities along the corridor. Each alternative has its advantages and disadvantages. All alternatives that meet the purpose and need of the project will be studied by IDOT again later.

All four alternates for road character include a bypass around existing Illinois Route 120 within the Villages of Grayslake, Hainesville, Round Lake, and Round Lake Park. Alternate 3A is a 4-Lane Roundabout Boulevard, Alternate 3B is a 4-Lane Signalized Boulevard, Alternate 4 is a 6-Lane Signalized Arterial, and Alternate 5 is a 6-Lane Expressway.

The next steps in the project are to study road placement, intersection types, and finally, the project’s financing strategy. A summary document will be prepared documenting the findings of the feasibility study and will be transmitted to IDOT.

Before construction would begin, IDOT would complete a Phase I Study that would further analyze the results of the feasibility study. At the conclusion of the Phase I study, engineering plans and specifications would be prepared for construction, and property would begin to be acquired. Depending on the availability of funding and other scheduling items, construction could begin no sooner than 6 to 10 years.

I favor alternate 3, I want more information on the differences between option A and B before I come to a conclusion on that issue, but we are getting closer!