Plan seeks to balance truck routes, public concerns
The Will County Board voted Thursday to adopt the Moving Will County Truck Routing and Communities Plan, a multiyear collaboration between the county, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, about 20 municipalities, the Illinois Trucking Association and other organizations.
The truck routing study is designed to improve safety and the quality of life for residents of Will County and ensure trucks travel where communities want them to travel.
“The key is really getting trucks onto the interstate as safely and efficiently as possible,” said Patricia Mangano, senior transportation planner with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.
As the county grows and the region continues to be an important national transportation hub, the study recommends strategies to minimize the negative impact of freight traffic to residents and the environment.
This includes ensuring there is access for larger trucks that are critical to economic activity while also making sure trucks are not traveling through residential areas, near schools, hospitals, forest preserves or other environmentally sensitive areas, Mangano said.
“The Moving Will County plan enables freight connectivity for our region that minimizes negative impacts on our residents,” said Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant. “As our economy continues to grow, it is essential that we a plan in place that ensures clear freight access countywide.”
The study recognizes the tremendous growth in industrial, distribution and logistics industries, noting that while improvements have been made and more are planned, the roadway network has not kept pace with the rapid growth of development.
The report says that high volumes of truck traffic have led to safety and congestion concerns, especially in sensitive areas such as historic districts, neighborhoods or environmentally protected areas. The study notes western Will County’s natural and cultural assets, such as Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery and the Kankakee River, could be negatively affected by new development and traffic.
Local governments can designate roads as truck routes, which then can be reflected in the truck drivers’ navigation or GPS systems, Mangano said.
The study can also guide local governments with planning, engineering services and applying for grants, she said.
The Moving Will County project can offer governments the guidelines for prioritizing where trucks should travel and where distribution facilities could be located, but they are only recommendations, Mangano said.
She said were many workshops, surveys and focus groups, including with municipal officials from New Lenox, Mokena, Lockport, Manhattan, Frankfort, Homer Glen, Joliet, Bolingbrook and Naperville.
The planning agency also worked with the Illinois and Will County Departments of Transportation, the Will County Center for Economic Development, the Will County Governmental League and the Forest Preserve District as well as Mid-West Truckers, the Illinois Soybean Association and the Illinois Trucking Association.
Mangano said the project was an excellent collaboration between many organizations and is part of the planning agency’s On to 2050 plan to recommend strategies to maintain the region’s status as North America’s freight hub while balancing community concerns and the economic benefits of freight.
Nick Palmer, chief of staff for the county board, said the study provides a guide map to balance economic activity and quality of life.
“We are the proverbial crossroads of America,” he said, noting residents just want to ensure they can get from work to home to their children’s activities without being caught in traffic.