Farmers Weekly Review

Farmers Weekly Review

Although Will County transportation officials say Wilmington-Peotone Road — considered by some as an alternative to the shelved Illiana Tollway plan — has been on their radar for “some time,” they add any changes will not occur until at least 2030.

Still, they have held public hearings in both communities in December and again on October 9 in Peotone and October 16 in Wilmington, with recommendations culled at the earlier hearings. They accepted comments from residents who attended the hearings, and will continue to do so, but only through November 6.

Displays at the hearings noted there was a “need” to address “deficiencies in the existing roadway and multimodal infrastructure and to accommodate growth in local and regional traffic to improve mobility throughout the county.”

Another identified that the “purpose” of the project was to “improve safety, enhance mobility for all users through providing an efficient east-west connection, and support current and future travel demand throughout the corridor.”

The study area stretches 22 miles from Drecksler Road in Peotone to Interstate 55 by way of North River Road. The narrow road without a shoulder has become increasingly dangerous for travelers, with multiple fatal accidents, especially in recent months.

County officials acknowledge the accidents, but say the road widening was on their radar even before the accidents. While not part of the current study, the accident locations were displayed on maps at the public hearings.

Safety First

Safety is a prime interest for Steve Malone, Manhattan Fire Protection District Chief.

“It is imperative we continue to collaborate with Will County on the Wilmington-Peotone Road,” he said in a statement.

“We see the positive impact this [study] will bring, specifically safety for the citizens that travel this road and the local residents. The Manhattan Fire District covers approximately 12 miles of Wilmington-Peotone Road and has seen a significant increase in car accidents on this road.

“Safety should be the highest priority, and this study is the first step. We look forward to continue working with Will County on this PEL study,” Malone commented. The fire district is a stakeholder in the project.”

Safety concerns identified along the corridor included speeding, frequent passing in non-passing zones, limited vision due to rolling hills/topography, slow-moving farm equipment, broken-down vehicles adjacent to the roadway, emergency responders adjacent to the roadway and snow embankments.

“There’s a lot of accidents on Wilmington-Peotone Road,” said resident Sandy Nugent. She lives about a half-mile off Wilmington-Peotone Road.

“I could use [a turn lane] on my road. It’s scary. People come off 57 and 53. No semi is going to turn on [her road] and they’ve just built up enough speed. Then I’m going to stop in front of them to make a left-hand turn with a gazillion semis coming the other way.

“I don’t want to get killed here.” Nugent said.

Nugent said she often tries to wave semis ahead of her, but they don’t often understand, and with the way the road curves, the semis often don’t realize that there is a street ahead. She expressed a desire for a turn lane.

Wilmington resident Roy Surdej said traffic, especially truck traffic, should be diverted to Arsenal Road, instead of widening and proposing intersection changes along Wilmington-Peotone Road. He voiced his opinion to County officials at the first open house, but his ideas were not represented in the feasible options.

Doing so, he said, would benefit Wilmington and taxpayers, “because there’s going to be a lot less tax dollars if you don’t have to build a roadway.” Surdej said.

“The cost of not having to buy farmland, to put infrastructure through that farmland, make people upset that they have to sell their farmland because the infrastructure is there and it’s already being used.”

Christina Kupkowski, Phase I Project Manager for the Will County Department of Transportation, said that although the recent fatal accidents weren’t included in the work already completed toward the study, they would be incorporated in the analysis as the study moves forward.

Initial Remedies

“Right now, we have locations where some of the options would be to construct a roundabout rather than having a four-way intersection,” said Kupkowski. Roundabouts would be options where Route 50, Route 45, Cedar Road, and Old Chicago Road each intersect with Wilmington-Peotone Road.

As the first part of the county’s Planning and Environmental Linkages study nears completion, the county will then move on to three formal phases, including engineering, land acquisition and construction.

Will County transportation officials also presented some possible remedies at the recent hearings:

• A traffic signal at the northbound ramp terminal at River Road and I-55
• An additional eastbound right turn lane at Illinois 53 and River Road
• An additional westbound right turn lane and northbound right turn lane at Illinois 53 and Kankakee River Drive/Peotone Road
• Adding left turn lanes on Wilmington-Peotone Road at Indian Trail Road
• Adding an eastbound right turn lane at Old Chicago Road and Peotone Road
• Adding left turn lanes on Wilmington-Peotone Road at Symerton Road
• Adding left turn lanes on Wilmington-Peotone Road at Cedar Road and Wilmington Road
• Adding left turn lanes on all legs of the intersection of U.S. 52 and Wilmington Road
• Installing traffic signals at both ramp terminal locations of Wilmington Road and I-57
• Additional left turn lanes on Illinois 50 at I-50 and Wilmington Road
• WCDOT also offered suggestions for improving segments of the road, including:
• 12-foot wide lanes and 10-foot wide shoulders on Wilmington-Peotone Road
• A passing lane section with 12-foot wide lanes at “strategically placed locations” of Wilmington-Peotone
• Reduced roadway vertical profile grades and improved vertical curves to increase sight distance on Wilmington-Peotone Road
• Realignments north and south of Wilmington-Peotone Road with Illinois 53 grade separation at River Road/Illinois 53/Wilmington-Peotone Road
• Realignment south of Wilmington-Peotone Road with a railroad grade separation at Wilmington/Illinois 50/Drecksler Road
• A railroad grade separation at River Road west of Illinois 53.
• Interchange improvements included a partial cloverleaf at River Road and I-55; a trumpet at I-55; a diamond at Wilmington Road and I-57; a partial cloverleaf at I-57; and a diverging diamond at I-57.

For Denise and Chris Vieaux, the diamond at Wilmington-Peotone Road and I-57 is the best solution, with the addition of a traffic light for that interchange. The couple has lived in Peotone for 20 years, just off I-57.

Construction and opening of the $18 million Peotone Travel Center in December 2023 was the beginning of commercial development the Village of Peotone plans for that area. While the Vieauxes might not have wanted a truck stop there, they said that since it is, they want it to succeed.

But the increase in traffic has made it hazardous, and the trucks and engine braking have become a major headache, residents say.

“The engine braking goes on all night long,” Denise said, “and it’s loud.”

Also called “Jake braking,” engine braking is a technique for slowing down a car or truck without using the brake pedal. It creates a terrifying loud noise, and many towns — including Monee — have ordinances banning the practice.

With truck traffic expected to keep increasing, Chris noted, “Something needs to be done there.”

“We knew there would be more truck traffic, and we knew there would be more growth in the area,” she said.

Nov. 6 Comment Deadline

Comments like those are welcome, in fact, desired by WCDOT. Kupkowski emphasized the need for resident input, saying it was “the number one thing” she wants the public to know.

“We want their input,” she said. “We want to provide the safest project we can, with community input.

“We’ve taken the comments from the first meetings (in 2023), and we put together alternatives (for the public to consider).

“It’s a good starting point for the public. But this is by no means the end of this,” she added, noting that actual approval of the final plans and construction start is a long way off.

“We don’t have any construction at all planned. “The earliest we could get anything out there … if everything went swimmingly … would be 2030.”

As far as truck traffic goes, WCDOT cannot control it, but can “make it safer for all of the users involved.”

With speeding, Kupkowski continued, “We can provide safer areas for law enforcement. There are certain things we might be able to do with the Village of Wilmington and the Village of Peotone to reduce speed.”

At the same time, sight distance is all about reconstructing the road.

“That’s a part of this. That’s why we’re out here.”

WCDOT will continue to accept comments about the alternatives online through November 6 at www.wilmingtonpeotonestudy.com or by calling Christina Kupkowski at 815-727-8476 or email ckupkowski@willcountyillinois.com.

Freelance reporters Karen Haave in Peotone and Stephanie Irvine in Wilmington contributed to this story.