THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO PRESENT PRAIRIE PARKWAY TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES FOR MORE DETAILED STUDIES

OTTAWA, Ill. – The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will hold two public information meetings on April 4 and 5 to present and receive public comment on the initial locations and footprints of the two build alternatives in the Prairie Parkway Preliminary Engineering Study. The two alternatives were announced last October and were carried forward for further studies.

This is the latest step in the Prairie Parkway Preliminary Engineering Study. The meetings will be open house format, with a question and answer session at each meeting.

The two build alternatives resulted from IDOT’s environmental field investigations and engineering studies. In addition to gathering engineering data, IDOT worked closely with environmental groups, landowners, communities, and the Corridor Planning Group to identify these potential alternatives.

The Corridor Planning Group is a volunteer group led by elected officials of the counties and municipalities affected by the improvements. These officials are supported by technical task force members selected from entities such as farm bureaus, economic development councils, forest preserve districts, and environmental conservation groups with experience and knowledge of issues related to land use planning, environmental resources, and transportation. They bring a local perspective to the effects the potential alternatives may have in their own communities.

The Prairie Parkway Preliminary Engineering Study began in 2002. Throughout the process, IDOT has placed a high priority on extensive public involvement as an important aspect to guide the study. IDOT has made significant realignments to the corridors throughout the study that resulted from public involvement and other findings. The two build alternatives presented at the April public information meetings are the finalists from among dozens of alternatives IDOT has evaluated based on engineering data and hundreds of public comments.

IDOT is still studying environmental impacts of the two potential alternatives, so the footprint continues to be slightly adjusted based on their findings. Every effort is made to provide the most travel benefits, the greatest compatibility with local land use plans, and the least environmental and development impacts. The slight adjustments are necessary to provide the greatest benefits to the people in the communities while minimizing impacts to the environment.

The main parts of the purpose and need statement are to improve regional mobility, address local system deficiencies, improve access from the study area to regional jobs, and improve safety, as well as an assessment of their environmental impacts. For information about the Prairie Parkway Study, visit www.prairie-parkway.com. The two public information meetings will be held at:

* Presentation and question & answer session at 6:30 p.m. each night

The public is invited and encouraged to attend at any time during the public information meetings. In the open houses, the public will be able to review exhibits and discuss the study with representatives from IDOT. A presentation by IDOT representatives followed by a question and answer session will start at 6:30 p.m. each night.

Both public meeting sites are accessible to persons with disabilities. If special accommodations are needed, please contact IDOT’s office at 815-434-8423, or TTY 815-434-8510.