Before they sign off on another study of Cedar Road, trustees want to know just what information has come out of a $44,000 study commissioned two years ago.
Trustee Gary Mueller said consultants from Metro Transportation Group, which began looking at Cedar Road in 1998, have recommended additional work related to changes in land-use plans on the north side of the village.
Mueller said the consultants see a need to do more work because a recent study of the site where a proposed extension of Interstate Highway 355 is expected to link up with Interstate Highway 80 recommended higher levels of commercial and residential land uses than those outlined in an earlier plan.
But trustees said they will not decide whether to sign off on another $3,000 to $5,000 study of Cedar Road without a status report.
“What have we got for the money we spent already?” Mueller asked. “We still don’t have a document. Unless and until we know what we’re paying for, we don’t see why we should pay any more.”
Trustees said they will ask the consultants to come to the work session scheduled for June 20.
Additional study is unlikely to provide new, useable information, Trustee Dave Batson said.
“I think we all realize there’s going to be more traffic (on Cedar Road). By the time you implement studies, you have to re-engineer the whole intersection.”
The question of how to avoid gridlock on Cedar Road as the village grows has been the subject of at least two other studies in recent years.
As New Lenox’s main north-south thoroughfare, Cedar Road is heavily traveled, and the operation of the Metra commuter railroad station on U.S. Highway 30 just east of Cedar Road can create rush-hour traffic tie-ups.
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Suggestions for easing traffic flow have included encouraging drivers to use alternate north-south routes such as Gougar Road or School House Road, adding lanes to Cedar Road and upgrading intersections at U.S. Highway 30 and Haven Avenue.
Residents have opposed widening Cedar Road from two to four lanes, saying such a move would detract from the scenic quality of the residential area.