Community sentiment in New Lenox is going against turning Cedar Road into a four-lane highway, a traffic consultant said Wednesday.
At a meeting called to review residents’ comments about village traffic patterns, consultant Tom Jester said comments made last month suggest residents want Cedar Road to stay the same and Gougar Road expanded to handle the town’s north-south traffic.
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Residents also favor a westward route for the proposed south extension of Interstate 355 to Interstate 57 and expansion of both Laraway and Schoolhouse Roads, he said.
Cedar Road, although mainly residential is the main north-south route through town, but Schoolhouse Road to the east and Gougar Road to the south can take some of the cars off Cedar, Jester said. Schoolhouse and Gougar Roads are “very important parts of north-south connectivity,” he said.
Jester and Mark Rinnan, who are working on the traffic study for the growing town, said a desire to preserve the community’s small-town, residential character is key.
Jan Filipiak, a resident who opposes expanding Cedar Road, said commuters have to be willing to accept slowing down through certain parts of town. “Otherwise, we’ll have a tremendous amount of commercial takeover (on the residential streets),” Filipiak said.
But some question the possibility of diverting northbound traffic. “Cedar Road will be the main road out of town north. How are you going to de-emphasize it?” asked Plan Commissioner Robert Faford.