Why Eola Road?

The real reason why the County wants only the Eola Road extension and no other option?

In a February 9, 2000 Chicago Tribune article, DuPage County engineer Chuck Tokarski stated that building the Eola Road extension along Fermilab's east side would keep it closer to DuPage communities that need access to the road. He has either forgotten or is ignoring the fact that Fermilab has stated there can be no intersections within its property. Without such access, it is difficult to see what benefit close proximity to the highway will bring except for increased noise, pollution and lowered property values. Of course, highway proponents are also ignoring Fermilab's position that they don't want the highway on the east side in any case.

Kane County officials said that they don't want Kirk Road to be widened, despite the fact that there is a 450-foot easement along the western border of Fermilab for such an expansion. The easement would allow the road to be relocated eastward, increasing separation to existing homes along the road. Fermilab has stated if a highway is put through, it should be on the west side. Kane County highway planners also realize that eventually Kirk Road will have to become 6 lanes anyway since it is a major arterial for their county.

Talk about problems with the alternative routes is likely a smokescreen by County officials. The probable real reason they are so adamant about building the Eola Road extension instead of widening Route 59 or Kirk Road is that the two alternatives would not directly connect with the WiKaDuKe Trail. That is the four-county (Will, Kane, DuPage, Kendall) plan (see WiKaDuKe Trail Map [52k]) that uses Eola Road as part of a 4 to 6-lane highway between I-80 and I-88. Added to the Eola Road extension and other 4-lane segments planning for northwest DuPage, there would be a continuous highway between I-80 in the south and US 20 to the north. Pratt's Wayne Woods Forest Preserve would be the only missing section. That section was also in the County's plan but was publicly dropped in 1999 due to strong public opposition. If all those highway sections are built, it would not be surprising to see County officials again pushing for completing the connection through Pratt's.

This route should seem familiar. It is essentially the same as the Fox Valley Expressway dropped in 1993 due to public opposition. Perhaps County officials think citizens now want another I-355, or by designating the various sections of the highway as isolated, local projects, citizens will not realize the overall plan until it is too late. They are mistaken on either count.