The Will County Board voted unanimously Thursday to transfer jurisdiction of County Highway 1 to the village of Homer Glen and New Lenox Township, ending a debate on a road widening projects residents said would destroy trees and claim their property.
The county is giving Homer Glen about 3.14 miles of County Highway 1 on the New Lenox/Homer Township border that includes portions of Hadley and Parker roads and Chicago-Bloomington Trail. A small portion of the corridor, about 0.46 miles, is within New Lenox Township and will be given to that township’s road district.
This summer, the Will County Division of Transportation held a public meeting so residents could learn about its planned improvements for the corridor that runs to the Cook County line.
Will County officials said the pavement was reaching the end of its useful life and wanted to widen the roads to meet industry standards.
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The neighborhood around the corridor is mostly rural, residential and agricultural and includes preserves managed by the Forest Preserve District of Will County.
Some residents told county and Homer Glen officials these improvements would destroy mature trees, affect wildlife and invite more truck traffic. The heavily forested route also contains the habitat of an endangered bat species.
The Homer Glen Village Board passed a resolution in September urging the county to protect the corridor, and village officials began working on transferring jurisdiction.
“We want to keep its rustic rural charm,” Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike said.
Homer Glen officials believe they can ensure the route will remain rural, which is what residents requested.
Resident Sue Maloney said she would have lost 75 trees if the county’s road improvement project occurred. The village of Homer Glen would allow the corridor to keep the country roads feel, she said.
Earlier this month, the Homer Glen Village Board voted in favor of taking jurisdiction of the route.
“We are the people that are in power of protecting this road by taking ownership of this road,” Homer Glen Trustee Sue Steilen said at a Dec. 13 meeting.
Homer Township Supervisor Steve Balich, who also represents the region as a county board member, said if the village didn’t pursue the transfer, Homer Township would have requested the corridor to be added to its street system.
Balich said he would like the corridor to remain unchanged.
Neitzke-Troike said the streets will not need repairs for five to 10 years, so the village plans to maintain the status quo.
She said the village has no plans to widen the roads so they keep their rural feel. Once the roads need to be resurfaced, they will go into the village’s annual road maintenance rotation.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.