History
A Brief History of the Willow Road Expansion Debate
Willow Road serves as one of the main east-west routes through the northern suburbs. Willow Road is an alternative to Lake Street to the south and to Dundee Road and Lake Cook Road to the north. Unlike Lake Street and Dundee Road, Willow Road has direct access to both the Tri State Tollway (I-294) and the Edens Expressway (I-94). This, coupled with extensive commercial and residential development along Willow Road in communities west of Northfield , has resulted in pressure to expand Willow Road to accommodate more traffic. Discussion of how best to solve regional traffic needs has historically centered on Willow Road, though it has recently been suggested that other ideas, such as new or expanded expressway interchanges at Lake Street, may help solve regional transportation needs.
There has been public debate over what to do with Willow Road for almost 40 years. Extensive discussions in the 1990s culminated in a consensus plan for the redevelopment of Willow Road between Sunset Ridge Road and the Edens Expressway. The 1990s plan was a compromise reached after the Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) received input from the governments of all affected communities, the local school board, the park district, the residents of affected communities, and even the governments of towns in the region farther to the west along the Willow Road corridor, such as Palatine . The 1990s plan had the support of local and state government officials, including the governor, had consumed approximately $500,000 in pre-engineering work and had gone out to bid, which is the final step in IDOT’s long process for road design and approval.
The 1990s plan was designed to increase traffic flow to serve communities west of Sunset Ridge Road while respecting the safety and small-town community feel of Northfield . The 1990s plan also was intended to preserve and respect all communities’ right to self determination. Among other things, the 1990s plan would have: (1) added a third lane to accommodate left turners along Willow Road and to prevent back-ups on Willow Road; (2) eliminated the full access points at Willow Road from Eaton Street and Dickens Street to reduce traffic conflict points; (3) installed a new four lane bridge with median and sidewalks over the middle fork of the Chicago River; (4) converted the full access points at Sunset Ridge school and Churchill Street into right in / right out intersections; (5) disconnected Old Willow Road and Somerset Lane from Willow Road; (6) installed a new sidewalk along the north side of Willow Road from Somerset Lane to Bristol Street, and (7) made numerous improvements to the Willow & Sunset Ridge intersection and the Willow and Wagner intersection to improve traffic flow.
Construction of the 1990s plan was scheduled to commence in 2005. Just before contracts were let, state government elected not to provide funding for the redevelopment of Willow Road and instead declared the 1990s plan null and void. IDOT has recently told the community that there is no plan for Willow Road on the table any more. Consequently, IDOT is back to square one on plans to redevelop Willow Road . Major road projects such as the redevelopment of Willow Road often take as long as five years to proceed through the design and approval process.
The future of Willow Road is once again being debated. The landscape has changed since the 1990s. Communities to the west of Waukegan Road have aggressively pursued commercial development of their communities. This has increased the strain on the regional transportation network throughout the area. It is imperative that the Willlow Road corridor construction move forward in addition to other regional solutions, such as additional interchanges along I294 at Lake and Dundee Avenues. All of these new solutions must be in compliance with a law that the State of Illinois passed that changes the way roads are designed in Illinois . This new law requires IDOT to use a procedure called “context sensitive design” to find “context sensitive solutions” to transportation needs. Context sensitive design requires IDOT to obtain input from all stakeholders before proposing a roadway plan and to ensure that all transportation projects “exist in harmony with their surroundings and add lasting value to the communities they serve.” 605 ILCS 5/4-219(a) (effective 2004). By law, a hallmark of context sensitive design and context sensitive solutions principles for IDOT shall be early and ongoing collaboration with affected citizens, elected officials, interest groups, and other stakeholders to ensure that the values and needs of the affected communities are identified and carefully considered in the development of transportation projects. 605 ILCS 5/4-219(c). Context sensitive solutions must balance safety, mobility, community, and environmental objectives in a manner that will enhance the relationship of the transportation facility with its setting. 605 ILCS 5/4-219(d).
In the Spring of 2007, at the suggestion of State Senator Schoenberg, the Villages of Winnetka and Northfield engaged a consultant named The Lakota Group to study Willow Road and to propose solutions for Willow Road . The Villages anticipate that the Lakota study will be an important early step in the Context Sensitive Solutions design process. The Lakota Group study should be completed by the end of 2007.
Regardless of future plans for the configuration of Willow Road , Willow Road is currently in poor condition and requires resurfacing. The Village of Northfield requested that IDOT resurface Willow Road . IDOT had planned to resurface Willow Road in its current configuration during the summer of 2007. However, IDOT elected to delay resurfacing Willow Road until the Lakota Group study is completed due to a concern that construction of Willow Road during the study would skew affected communities’ perception of Willow Road and therefore improperly affect the results of the study.
North Suburban Awareness Group (“NSAG”) was formed as an Illinois not-for-profit corporation by a group of citizens who are concerned about the future of Willow Road in Northfield . Membership in NSAG is not limited to Northfield residents and, in fact, NSAG seeks to include residents of other affected communities who share the goal of having a safe, community friendly and transportation efficient Willow Road built as quickly as possible. NSAG intends to work to educate the community and neighboring communities with regard to Willow Road expansion issues and to organize the community to work to achieve a reconstruction of Willow Road that not only addresses traffic needs but also respects safety, small-town community, the environment and the right to community self-determination concerns consistent with Context Sensitive Design requirements.
