Monee officials have formally entered their objections to an unpopular plan for the eastward extension of the roadway through the village.
Village Administrator Ruben Bautista told The Vedette last week that residents’ signatures collected over the past few weeks have been sent to county officials, along with documentation supporting the community’s viewpoint of the transportation plan.
Two extension routes proposed by the Will County Division of Transportation in June include stretching Monee-Manhattan Road eastward, creating an overpass that would carry truck traffic over Governors Highway and the Canadian National Railway, continuing along a path north of the McCorkle Subdivision and Golf Vista, and continuing between Monee Elementary School and Country Meadows subdivision.
The second option would create a truck route that would cut between Walkers Grove and Heather Brook Subdivisions, between Rt. 50 and Will-Center Road – an area central to future commercial and residential development.
The documentation also included a myriad of reasons why neither proposal is good for Monee.
Bautista said the attestations were mailed and emailed on August 1.
“On Friday, August 1, I emailed Will County Chief Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, County Board Members, and the Director of Transportation 387 attestations voicing the public’s opposition to the proposed alternative commercial vehicle truck routes planned for Monee,” he said.
“The village also mailed all the original attestations to the Chief Executive via the USPS.
“Since Friday, I have received an email from County Board Member Dan Butler requesting a meeting with the mayor (Dr. Therese Bogs) and I to discuss our concerns. I also received a reply from the Chief Executive’s Staff Assistant advising me the Chief Executive would be responding to our email in the next few days.
“I was advised Transportation Director Jeff Ronaldson was out of the office on vacation and would respond upon his return.
“That is all the responses I have received thus far,” he added.
Opposition to the proposed highway extensions elicited an angry “no” from Monee after they were posted during a public hearing in late June.
Opposition to the proposed extensions is based on resident fear of increased traffic and traffic-related dangers, increased noise and air pollution near homes, schools, and parks, reduced property values and damage to Monee’s small-town, rural character, and potential harm to farmland, local wildlife, and natural habitats.
Village officials say both proposals would have a “devastating impact” on current and planned developments, including a new police department, the Towne Center, the Village Square, and a long-awaited grocery store.
County officials have said no decisions have been made about the proposed truck routes. Some revisions could be made, and a “no build” option scrapping both plans is a possibility.