Farmers Weekly Review

By Stephanie Irvine

Proposed improvements to Cherry Hill-Mills Road drew skepticism and ire from residents at the Will County Department of Transportation’s project open house on July 30 at Nowell Park Recreation Center.

During the open house, the county collected public feedback and provided the public with large maps for viewing. A steady stream of residents flowed in and out of the room.

According to the county, the improvements are intended to address issues with safety, drainage, a lack of shoulder and safe pedestrian access.

Mills Road, which turns into Cherry Hill Road, is mostly home to residential neighborhoods, a few farm fields and some industrial warehousing that has crept over from the Cherry Hill Business Park.

“The base is old. It’s one of the older pavements in our system,” said Christine Kupkowski, Phase 1 Project Manager for Will County Department of Transportation.

“Like with anything that we have, it gets to the point where it wears out, and you need to replace it,”

The Cherry Hill-Mills Road Corridor includes Wauponsee Glacial Trail, Old Plank Trail, Nowell Recreation Center, and Wildflower Park. Safe pedestrian access combined with the degrading pavement helped establish the impetus for the project.

“You’ve got these destinations that people want to get to, and they don’t necessarily want to drive. So, to provide a safe way for people to access these facilities on foot or with a bicycle is part of the reason we’re looking at this project,” Kupkowski said.

The route will not change, but Kupkowski said the roadway will be widened, and accommodations will be made for pedestrians and bicyclists. The county was seeking feedback to determine exactly how much the road would be widened and where along the route.

However, residents didn’t buy that improvements would benefit them, and many felt that the proposed updates were intended to support truck traffic.

“I’m glad that they’re finally giving us some information,” Joliet resident Betsy Satcher said. She travels Mills-Cherry Hill Road and uses Nowell Recreation Center regularly. She was concerned about increased traffic, particularly from trucks, quality of air, and safety as it is a bus route for children.

“We get that heavy traffic that backs up a mile,” Satcher said. “It’s just going to be more traffic for the residents getting in and out. I really don’t see the positive in it right now, as far as the truck traffic. Even getting them out of our areas, our residential neighborhoods, (Interstate) 80 is right there. So, they’re going to reroute them through.”

Later in the open house, Mike Kerwin paused to look at the large maps on the table in the center of the room.

“It looks like, and you don’t see this mentioned anywhere, but it looks like they’re making it easier for trucks to use this access. And we have enough trucks. We don’t need anymore,” Kerwin said.

Kerwin, who lives in Joliet near Pilcher Park, said widening the road would provide more room for trucks and give them a better route to access Route 53.

Kerwin and Satcher weren’t alone in their concerns regarding trucks.

Joe Speedwell, who has lived on Cherry Hill Road across from the cemetery for the past 26 years, also had a major concern with truck traffic. He, his wife, and a neighbor attended the open house and had lengthy discussions with engineers.

“I know they’re trying to come up with ideas. My belief is that the warehouses that New Lenox allowed to come into the area, and the semi traffic and employee traffic going down Cherry Hill Road, is why they want to change Cherry Hill Road,” Speedwell said.

He complimented the engineers running the open house, but believes the county will do whatever it wants, regardless of resident input.

“It’s always been a nice area, not a lot of traffic. Now with the warehouses there, it’s tons of traffic, tons of garbage, semis,” Speedwell said.

None of the residents who commented mentioned wanting pedestrian access. It was all skepticism regarding the county’s intention and concerns about truck traffic.

“My initial take is this is just a way, in my opinion, to shift traffic from downtown — that the mayor and the county executive didn’t want — over to again, east side, south side residents’ roadways,” Joliet resident John Sheridan said.

“To me, that’s not a solution to the problem. The solution to the problem is obviously (to) stop building warehouses in Joliet, and do not do anything more until you get Chicago Street figured out. The growth will come later, but you need the infrastructure, and we’re not doing it.

“You shift the truck traffic there, and they’re going to have problems.”

The stretch of road is currently in Phase 1 of a three-phase plan intended to end in 2028 with construction. The county has collected data from traffic, environmental, and drainage surveys and studies. Three public meetings will be held in Phase 1; the second was held on July 30.

Phase 2 is expected to begin sometime in 2025 with land acquisition and project planning.

If any members of the public could not attend the open house but are interested in providing comments, they may do so online through August 13 by visiting millscherryhillstudy.com or by emailing [email protected].

Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.

Joliet resident Mike Kerwin reviews the project area

Residents were able to look over large maps displayed of the project area.