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Will County Executive vetoes 143rd Street expansion resolution
Homer Glen residents have been fighting to stop the expansion of 143rd Street. The Will County Board voted to press pause on the project, however, the county executive vetoed the resolution, saying the expansion is necessary for traffic demands and public safety.
WILL COUNTY, Ill. - The Will County Executive vetoed a resolution that would halt an expansion project on 143rd Street in Homer Glen Saturday.
Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant released a statement Saturday explaining her reasons for the veto. She began by saying resolution #24-27 fails to address traffic demands and public safety.
Bertino-Tarrant's statement also explained that there had been incorrect reports circulating that she had signed and delivered the resolution. She clarified that the resolution was signed in error, and the County Executive did not authorize delivery to the Clerk’s Office.
Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike released a statement of her own Saturday saying Bertino-Tarrant can not legally veto a delivered and filed resolution.
Neitzke-Troike said the board voted 12 to 11 to cease the expansion of 143rd Street to five lanes between Lemont and Bell Roads at a meeting on Thursday.
"The law is clear that once Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant affixed her signature to the Resolution #24-27 she lost her power to veto. To apply Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant logic to the law is perverse and would allow her to veto any law she may decide to change," Neitzke-Troike said.
Residents say they were concerned that the project would significantly increase noise levels and decrease safety.
"They want to keep it slower, safer. We have schools on this road. I have been here standing in my backyard and seen trucks speeding off of 355 where buses are coming out of school, and they are going to the east, screeching tires, and you pray that all these kids are gonna be safe," said resident Christy Nahser.
Bertino-Tarrant says Will County has held a consistent position since 2009: "That the existing two-lane road is a danger to the public, impedes the flow of traffic, and prevents the safe passage of residents throughout the county."
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Homer Glen residents mobilize to halt 143rd Street widening project
The area is rural --- but also residential.
The project was initiated in response to local complaints about congestion and forecasts indicating a projected daily increase in traffic of 17,000 to 20,000 vehicles. Current daily traffic counts already surpass 14,000 vehicles, exceeding the standards set by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for a roadway of this scale. The full County Board has unanimously supported this project on 10 occasions since 2009, and it has been integrated into the county’s long-term planning framework for 12 years., the Office of the Will County Executive said.
"While Resolution #24-27 is misleadingly labeled as a directive to "cease" the expansion, the resolution is also calling for the Division of Transportation to proceed with a three-lane expansion," Bertino-Tarrant said.
Will County has already invested over $6.2 million in this project.