Wadsworth Road project OK’d over residents’ objections

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Updated: March 18, 2012 1:47AM

Another road project has stirred the ire of some residents — this time in Wadsworth — after the Lake County Board voted Tuesday to go ahead with plans to make Wadsworth Road three lanes through the tiny village that will require taking out numerous old and stately trees.

The road project is similar to the Millburn bypass that drew heated reaction from residents and elected officials. The Wadsworth Road widening also drew criticism from township officials and citizens who want it to remain two lanes.

Known as the “village of country living,” detractors said taking out the 100-year-old trees will alter the character of the village. But the reconstruction was supported by Mayor Glenn Ryback and some Wadsworth village trustees.

The County Board approved a measure to spend just over $3.3 million on the section of roadway from the Canadian Pacific railroad crossing to just past St. Patrick Church near Chicago Avenue. There was $420,000 approved for the railroad crossing improvements and an additional $75,000 approved for redesign of a bicycle-friendly shoulder being reduced from 4 feet to 3 feet, additional tree plantings, redesigned sidewalks to stay in original footprint and redesign of the stormwater sewers.

As part of the village and county agreement, Wads-worth also gave the county land for the Delany Road improvement that will turn it into five lanes from Yorkhouse Road to Wadsworth Road at a cost of $7,762,411, which happened to be awarded to Curran Contracting Co. of Crystal Lake earlier in the meeting.

Board member Steve Carlson of Grandwood Park led the charge against the Wadsworth project by trying to pass a motion to delay the project. He lamented the fact that people show up, but aren’t listened to. The board complains people don’t pay attention, then when they do, the board calls them “NIMBYs or worse.”

“How many people have to show up to get our attention,” he said, adding after the meeting when his motion was voted down that maybe people with issues with the county should just “don’t bother — the board will do as it feels is best.” Supporting his motion was Melinda Bush of Grayslake, Susan Loving Gravenhorst of Lake Bluff, Pat Carey of Grayslake and Terry Wilke of Round Lake Beach.

But other board members pointed out that Wadsworth officials agreed to the project, although there is a contention as to whether or not the village approved the project unanimously or it was a tie broken by the mayor. Residents opposing the project said it was a tie, while the mayor claims it was only a tie for a sidewalk addition that was added to the agreement where the county would pay 80 percent of the sidewalk costs for the village.

“Some trustees voted no because they didn’t want to spend the 20 percent,” said Ryback, shaking his head because he thought it was a great deal. But resident Susan Ziengle, who was fighting the project since 2003, countered that if they had voted no, the whole package would of been stopped, it wasn’t two separate issues.

Other County Board members also described how they were boxed in because no one wanted four lanes, so working within the old roadway right-of-way footprint they came up with three lanes, with a middle turn lane for people going to drop off or pick up kids at the Catholic school of 600 students. The turn lane can hold up to 10 vehicles, then regular traffic would be blocked again.

Sidewalks on both sides of the street now have to be five-feet to be compliant with disability laws, which wasn’t true 10 years ago, so more of the footprint is taken up. Tom and Sarah Hansen’s late 1800s farmhouse is very close to the road.

“The expansion will make the road 11 feet closer to my home,” he said. “I will have projectiles of one to two pounds aimed at our home. Don’t leave the safety and security of our home in the hands of a snow plow operator,” he said.

Marty Buehler, director of the transportation division and county engineer, said that is manageable because all the county trucks have computer chips that tell them where they are and how fast they are going so plow operators can be held responsible.