What do the Oak Parkers north of the Eisenhower Expressway know that south Oak Parkers don’t?
Or is there some other reason why north Oak Parkers seem to want noise-reducing walls along the highway and south Oak Parkers don’t?
Or is this suspicion just south Oak Park paranoia?
You might have read in the Oak Leaves that the Illinois Department of Transportation might install noise-reducing walls along the Ike as part of its plans to rebuild and widen the expressway.
To find out what residents think, IDOT sent ballots to residents near the Eisenhower to vote on the walls.
Residents living in seven of the 12 voting sections are voting against the walls. Final ballots were due by the end of February. Results were expected this month.
IDOT says voters seem ready to approve walls on four sections north of the expressway – between Harlem and Home avenues, East and Ridgeland avenues, Ridgeland and Lombard avenues and from Lombard to Austin Boulevard.
But along the south side of the highway, only the section between Home and Oak Park avenues is voting in favor of walls.
Why, I wonder? What’s different about the north side of the Ike and the south side? What are the benefits of walls that northsiders see that southsiders don’t?
I drove around both areas and they look the same, and the highway noise sounds the same. I see nothing that would account for the disparity in voting.
We might have to wait until July to find out. That’s when IDOT says it will hold a public meeting to try to reach consensus on the walls. Which would be good. Because some walls here and no walls there would look like the carved mouth of a jack-o-lantern.
The thing is, though, the walls might not be installed (if they ever are installed) for seven years, which has led some Oak Park officials to ask why Oak Parkers are asked to vote now for something that might, or might not, happen for seven years.
Good question.
A lot could happen in seven years.
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In seven years, there could be noiseless vehicles, thus eliminating the need for noise walls.
Individual helicopters?
Jet packs?
Paul Sassone is a freelance columnist for Pioneer Press.