The 630 | Moving Forward
By Hilary Decent
April 2018 View more 630
DuPage County’s population of 932,000 is expected to exceed one million within a decade. With anticipated growth and ongoing transportation needs in mind, the county is working with the community to create its first Long Range Transportation Plan. Officials held four public meetings in February, seeking public input into how they can improve areas like traffic flow, safety and transit services.
Concerns have included the maintenance of roads and bridges and specific intersection improvements, as well as calls for improved cycle and pedestrian facilities. Members of the public also suggested future projects such as additional lanes on county roads and new interchanges.
Don Puchalski, chair of the DuPage County Board Transportation Committee, says: “Typically, people reach out regarding a location-specific issue. Our Long Range Transportation Plan public meetings offered residents a valuable opportunity to let their voices be heard on those specific concerns, as well as more universal transportation issues affecting the entire county and our region. So far we have received thoughtful feedback from meeting attendees and with hundreds of survey responses already gathered, we are anticipating some meaningful feedback from our outreach efforts.”
The plan, dubbed DuPage Connects, will govern transportation policies and practices in the county through the year 2040, in order to set a fiscally responsible course over the next 25 years. This work will include an examination of revenues, expenditures, policies and practices related to transportation assets and facilities. The goal is to form a vision and a mission for the DuPage County Division of Transportation, to ensure a sustainable and vibrant quality of life for residents and businesses across the community.
It is hoped that the draft plan will be completed this spring and finalized by the end of the year. Residents can complete the survey at dupageconnects.org.