As Arlington Heights, Waukegan and Naperville hope to lure the Chicago Bears to their towns, and Chicago hopes to keep them at Soldier Field, some might wonder if that talk might reignite plans to extend the Illinois Route 53 expressway north to Belvidere Road in Lake County.
Though creating a 15-mile expressway through the middle of Lake County could ease traffic congestion for people going to and from a Bears game in Arlington Heights or Waukegan, the fate of the 1,100-acre parcel appears headed in a different direction.
State Rep. Laura Faver Dias, D-Grayslake, and state Rep, Dan Didech, D-Buffalo Grove, are among Lake County legislators trying to turn the land once designated for an expressway into a greenway for environmental and recreational purposes.
After decades of discussion of extending the road, the legislature created the Illinois Route 53 Expansion Land Alternative Use Task Force in 2021. Late last year Didech said it recommended turning the land into a greenway.
It appears an expressway is not feasible, even if the Bears move north.
“This is the same issue that’s been going on for 30-plus years,” Didech said. “It’s overly expensive and is problematic, with enormous conservation and flood prevention concerns,” he added, referring to a project estimated to cost $2.5 billion in 2021.
Currently owned by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Didech, a task force member, said he and his colleagues overwhelmingly recommended the land go to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to become a greenway.
Dias said during the current session of the legislature, DNR officials eventually said they could turn it into a greenway for approximately $1 million. Though it could not be included in the current budget, she is hopeful it will happen later this year or next.
“The Bears stadium is an ongoing conversation,” Dias said. “No decisions have been made. I’m going to focus on the recommendation of the task force.”
Lake County Board member Marah Altenberg, D-Buffalo Grove, said in a text the longer it takes for the legislature to appropriate the money to enable the DNR to take possession of the property for a greenway, the possibility of a highway looms.
“This leaves me concerned that there could still be a future extension of Route 53, a possibility that is not welcome to myself and many of our residents.” Altenberg said in the text. “I will continue to push to eliminate any possibility of a Route 53 extension.”
Mundelein Mayor Steve Lentz, another member of the task force, wants IDOT to keep the land for now. He said the need for additional highway unforeseen now can occur in the future. The Route 53 corridor from Lake Cook to Belvidere roads should remain as is.
Lentz said a stadium in Arlington Heights or Waukegan would add to already existing congestion. Before a new stadium is built in either community, significant research and preparation is necessary.
“A traffic study would be beyond important, and its accuracy would have to be beyond question,” Lentz said. “How do you know you will never, ever need the corridor for north-south traffic?”
Lake County Board member John Wasik, D-Grayslake, was a task force member. He said he has heard nothing about keeping the land under IDOT control in the event a stadium is built in Arlington Heights or Waukegan. He wants the legislature to continue pursuing the task force’s recommendation.
“The idea of turning it into a highway is not happening” Wasik said, “If it did, 1,100 acres of wetlands and forest would be lost forever.”
County Board member Ann Maine, R-Lincolnshire, said it makes no sense to change course, “because of a maybe.” She believes the municipalities should have a say about the precise type of park or recreational land use along the greenway.
“A greenway can take a lot of different forms,” Maine said.
“There’s been a lot of discussions over the years,” Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart, D-Lake Bluff, added. “Lake County supports the recommendation that the land remain a greenway for the enjoyment of Lake County residents and others.”