Looking out 20 years, Buffalo Grove and Lake County officials see traffic projections that convince them Weiland Road needs to be expanded and extended, while some residents are looking at the here and now and the possible loss of their homes and the expense.

The plan calls for widening the two-lane road to four lanes and extending it southward to connect to St. Marys Parkway at Buffalo Grove Road and northward over to Prairie Road. Now, cars must use Aptakisic Road to connect to those roads where bottlenecks often occur.

The village used Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning population estimates to plan the project, village manager Dane Bragg said.

re going to see traffic congestion increase on both Lake-Cook and Weiland Road corridors over the 20-year planning period, he said. Without the extension of Route 53, which is hung up for lack of funding and political consensus, congestion could be even worse, he added.

But Tim OConnor, who lives near the northern end of Weiland Road, fears losing his property. He is the voice of a group of about 12 to 20 residents who are banding together to fight the project.

OConnor bought his house in 1997 and knew about the plan to connect Weiland to Prairie. Its been part of Buffalo Groves Transportation Plan for more than 20 years, officials said. In 1995, Lake County and Buffalo Grove entered into an agreement to eventually improve Weiland/Prairie Road, Buffalo Grove Road and Deerfield Parkway.

The latter two came out on top when the plans were prioritized, so OConnor didnt worry because Weiland Roads plan seemed far off and vague. The funding never came up, and the project never moved along until last December when the village held a meeting to talk about environmental impact and viability studies.

Now that phase one is underway, OConnor and his neighbors are concerned that the village is moving too quickly on a project that may not even be necessary.

Everybody that drives through this town knows that its really an east-west problem in this part of Lake County, OConnor said. Besides the bottleneck at Lake-Cook and Weiland, he doesnt see the rest of the road as being slow or problematic.

The project itself doesnt really lead to any significant win for the community, he said.

While OConnor put the cost at around $100 million, Bragg said it was too soon to know because the route of the new roads hasnt been determined. That will affect the cost because the government must pay fair market price for any property in the way and residents can vote to install noise walls, another big expense.

Two businesses, the Rolling Hills Nursery, 22149 N. Pet Lane, and Best Friends Pet Care, 22096 N. Pet Lane, most likely will be acquired and possibly moved with the extension.

You could start to have a discussion about the economic benefits of the road and what its bringing to the village, OConnor said of the project years ago. But now its not about anything other than knocking stuff down and building a four-lane road.

Bragg said the approval process is far from over. Phase one is expected to be complete near the end of this year, and another town meeting will be scheduled in October or November. Phases two and three would take two years each. Phase two involves acquiring property and phase three involves actual construction of the roadway.

OConnor, who recently addressed the board about his concerns and is hoping to schedule a meeting of residents and the board, said the fight also is far from over.

The village has awakened a group of people that have never gotten involved in this before, he said.


Source: TribLocal Buffalo Grove