Wilmington still hopes for changes to Illiana route
By Mary Baskerville Correspondent December 14, 2012 10:46AM
Updated: January 17, 2013 6:29AM
The city of Wilmington is still lobbying for changes in the proposed pathway of the Illiana Expressway.
Mayor Marty Orr said recently that the city has not had any recent communication with the Illinois Department of Transportation, but is hopeful that the state will consider realigning the proposed Illiana to lessen the impact to Wilmington.
A pathway using a portion of the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie as it runs parallel along the New River Road is what the city desires, he said.
The city needs to “prepare and make plans” for the impacts that expressway will bring to Wilmington. The No. 1 position of the city is that any resident impacted by the expressway be taken care of, Orr said. The city also wants to see that any recreational areas that are impacted be taken care of, he said.
Wilmington wants a voice in the placement of interchanges and toll booths, he said. Wilmington does not want to become a route for trucks diverting from the expressway to avoid tolls, he said.
Areas of Wilmington likely to be most impacted include Foxtail Commons and Deer Creek Estates northeast of town and the O’Brien subdivision northwest of town, he said. The project will have a more indirect impact on Waters Edge, he said.
