Instead of a highway, how about a nature trail? Land once proposed for Route 53 extension in Lake County now eyed as greenway
First came the Illinois Prairie Path, one of the first rail-to-trail conversions in the United States. Later, The 606 trail in Chicago attracted crowds of bikers and runners and led to skyrocketing nearby property values. Now, a group of conservationists and elected officials in Lake County are pushing to turn a former proposed tollway corridor into a greenway — a trail through a long, narrow nature preserve.
Illinois lawmakers recently approved a resolution calling for a task force to study alternate uses for the proposed extension of Illinois Route 53 in the northwest suburbs. The effort picks up where Illinois tollway officials left off in 2019 when they dropped plans for the road.
Believers in the project cite it as an example of a popular trend away from highways and greenhouse gas emissions, and toward preservation of natural areas. Critics see it as a boondoggle for a relatively small number of people, rather than a project that could have served 100,000 drivers a day and spurred economic development.
While Republicans traditionally have supported road projects, the resolution passed unanimously in both chambers, suggesting growing bipartisan support for nature paths.
“These become beloved spaces where diverse residents, young and old, flock to get fresh air, walk, bike, and share a moment with each other,” said Gerald Adelmann, president and CEO of the nonprofit Openlands conservation group. “This is our moment to create that kind of legacy for our communities.”
Road builders see it differently. Mike Sturino, president of the Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Association, cited widespread past support for the expressway.
“The majority of working people suffer when you pull the plug on needed infrastructure,” Sturino said. “I like bike lanes, but we have to be realistic. It’s shocking when respectable officials are browbeaten by a radical fringe to go along with this reckless move.”
The shift in the proposed use of the corridor was gradual, then sudden. The Route 53 extension from Lake-Cook Road to Route 120 had been proposed since the 1960s to alleviate traffic congestion and facilitate housing and commercial construction. Plans eventually were expanded to connect it with the Tri-State Tollway (I-94) near Gurnee.
In 2009, three out of four voters in the county supported the plan in an advisory referendum. In 2015, 40 mayors and then-Lake County board Chairman Aaron Lawlor signed a letter committing to the extension.
To address environmental concerns, a blue ribbon advisory council agreed on a proposal to limit the highway to two lanes each way at 45 miles per hour.
But as time passed, key early supporters such as Lawlor came to oppose the extension, and tolls from the extension were projected to cover only part of the $2.5 billion cost. In 2019, the executive director of the Illinois tollways, Jose Alvarez, appointed by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker after years of Republican control, announced that the agency would no longer continue the environmental study, halting the proposal.
Shortly thereafter, 18 elected officials, including county board members and state representatives, sent a letter to the governor asking for “a nonmotorized recreational pathway.” This month, the Illinois General Assembly passed a resolution calling for a task force to study alternate uses for the corridor, and report back by the end of 2022.
One of the lead sponsors of the measure, Senate Republican leader Dan McConchie, of Hawthorn Woods, downplayed the significance of changing priorities. He said the road project simply had become too expensive due to steps required to protect sensitive wetlands.
While the proposal does not specify inclusion of the Route 120 portion of the corridor, it could connect with existing trails there, he said.
“It’s a very interesting idea,” he said. “This is an opportunity for us to have all the players in the room … to consider these other alternatives.”
While the tollway agency had conducted the environmental study, the Illinois Department of Transportation was in charge of land acquisition. The department spent $54 million acquiring 1,100 acres through natural and developed areas, though some sections remain privately owned.
Conservationists want the state to transfer the property to state or local conservation agencies. As precedent for the concept, supporters cited the Glenwood Canyon Trail in Colorado, which runs next to I-70, partly on the path of the previous highway.
Barbara Klipp, of the Midwest Sustainability Project, described the greenway as a scenic sanctuary for creeks, sensitive wetlands, and rare plants and animals. The corridor runs near rookeries for Great Blue Herons, egrets, and even an occasional bald eagle. It would also link communities including Long Grove, Hawthorn Woods, Mundelein and Grayslake, whose mayors support the idea.
Nonprofit groups calling for the greenway include the Lake County Audubon Society, Openlands, Sierra Club Illinois Chapter.
On a recent morning, Veronica Zitella, 77, of Long Grove, walked on a gravel road beside a pond in the corridor, and said the road would have intruded on her family’s privacy. “They should keep this wild,” she said. “Nature should be left to nature.”
Asked about the corridor, a Department of Transportation spokeswoman said only that the agency is not pursuing land acquisition at this time, and is not studying the project.
“Still a little premature to speculate on possible next steps,” spokeswoman Maria Castaneda wrote in an email. “No final decisions have been made at this time. But IDOT going forward is committed to working with local stakeholders to help determine that best and most effective use of the land that’s been acquired for the project thus far, with the best interests of taxpayers in mind.”
