Legislators, IDOT reps hear opposition to Route 51 bypass plan

About 125 people crowded into Vandalia City Hall last Wednesday to let their political representatives know that they are not happy with the path of the U.S. Route 51 bypass proposed by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Though only one of the four invited state and federal politicians made the 90-minute meeting, each had representatives there. And they left the meeting with no doubt that the current bypass route – which goes through or near several north end neighborhoods – is not favored by local residents.
Also in attendance were Vandalia Mayor Rick Gottman, Fayette County Board Chairman Steve Knebel and several IDOT representatives.
“The neighborhood representatives presented their concerns with a good attitude,” said state Sen. Kyle McCarter (R-Lebanon), the lone legislator at the meeting. “As a result, IDOT has accommodated them by restarting the process and looking at it again. Democracy works! We just have to find a real alternative that is good for all of Vandalia.”
The meeting consisted of statements by representatives of various affected neighborhoods, as well as comments from Gottman and Knebel.
Lisa Arenas, a resident of Deerwood Estates, opened the meeting, saying, “We are not opposed to the Route 51 expansion in general, but feel that there are other viable alternatives to these proposed routes.”
She said that more than 150 homes would be significantly impacted by the route proposed by IDOT.
In addition to the impact the proposed route will have on home values and quality of life issues, she said that possibly the most important impact would be on the water supplies in the area.
“Wells in Deerwood Estates are very shallow, some being only 10 feet deep,” she said. “When construction (of the bypass) begins and this flow of underground water is disrupted, what’s going to happen to our wells? Who is going to be responsible when our wells go dry?”
Tom Diveley, representing the Forrest Hills subdivision, acknowledged that the bypass will have to come through somewhere, but challenged IDOT to “choose the best route that will serve the community with the least disruption possible. This (the current proposal) would disrupt our community tremendously.
“We’re putting our faith in the people on the committees. None of us wants to lose our homes, but if this is the best possible route for our community, then I’ll live with it.”
Jeff Hester, another Deerwood Estates resident, said, “It’s not a pleasant thought to have a four-lane road coming through the neighborhood,” adding that he’s not convinced that a bypass that diverts traffic well west of town will be well used. “If I were a truck driver, I wouldn’t go several miles around town when I could drive a mile straight through.”
Knebel said that he was concerned about taking property off the tax rolls – but even more about disrupting people’s lives.
“If we eliminate housing, we lose the tax revenue. That’s not a big deal. If we eliminate your livelihood, that’s a big deal.
“There are great options out there. By proposing bypass routes that join with I-70, we eliminate the impact on the residential communities.”
Though state Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Greenville) was not at the meeting, his wife, Lisa, did attend, and she read a statement from him.
“I submit my strongest opposition to this project in its current form,” Stephens said. “I hope a resolution can be found for the betterment of the community. The proposed expansion would not only displace residents living in the community but would also have a devastating effect on property tax for the city and county.”
Joe Darnell (?????????), who lives along Ill. Route 185, favored an eastern bypass.
“Why aren’t we skirting Vandalia to the east and connecting to the existing Route 51 east of downtown? Yes, it’s a floodplain, but the current Route 51 is in a flood plain. I hate to see farmland eaten up by concrete. These other alternatives will disrupt hundreds of people’s lives. Plus, there are a lot of wetlands southwest of Vandalia where the proposed route would go.”
After the local residents and political representatives had their say, Roger Driskell, a regional engineer for IDOT, said that the agency “wants to step back and reform the community advisory group in Vandalia.
“Three new members have been selected to represent the northside community. At the next CAG meeting (this Wednesday), we’ll look at the group and make sure we have all the stakeholders represented. Then, we’ll step back and start over with a blank sheet of paper.
“The route will have to meet our purpose and need criteria. We’ll go through the whole process. And there will be public meetings along the way.”
He warned audience members that “it’s a long and possibly painful process.” The four-laning process south of Decatur has averaged about one mile per year, and the continuation of the project depends on getting government funding.”
After the meeting, Driskell told The Leader-Union that he was pleased with the public participation at Wednesday’s the meeting.
“It’s all about public involvement,” he said. “This particular process took a different twist than we’d anticipated, but there is still an opportunity to go back and take another look. When you go to the public, they may come up with some option we may not have thought of. You never know. We want to do what’s best for the community.
“I-70 is definitely an option we’ll look at – both east and west.
“Our goal is to narrow it down as quickly as possible, so people know what’s going on.”
Sherry Phillips, another IDOT engineer, also told The Leader-Union, “I think what we have now is a good solution, but if there’s a better one, we want to find it.”
 

Lisa Arenas, a resident of Deerwood Estates, tells state Sen. Kyle McCarter (R-Lebanon), representatives of other legislators and representatives of the Illinois Department of Transportation why she opposes the proposed Vandalia bypass for U.S. Route 51.