Arlington Hts. residents fear losing frontage roads.(Neighbor)

While the state's attention is on Palatine Road's eastern segments, Arlington Heights residents near the roadway's western section are beginning to worry.They are worried about losing the frontage roads that separate Palatine Road's express lanes from their neighborhoods, and that plans are being set in concrete before they have a chance to say anything about their neighborhoods' fates.

Trustees and Village President Arlene Mulder sought to allay those worries Monday night by promising better lines of communication and inviting residents to join the struggle against the Illinois Department of Transportation. The village successfully forced IDOT to compromise on plans for Palatine Road east of Rand Road, and the same thing could happen here, said Trustee Dwight Walton.

"One of the key ingredients was public participation," Walton said at the year's second "Mayor's Round Table," at Greenbrier School. "By standing together and fighting together, I think we have shown we can beat IDOT." The village's main differences with IDOT center on the Kennicott Avenue-Palatine Road intersection and access to frontage roads to the north and south of Palatine Road and west of the intersection.

If the frontage roads lose access to the Kennicott Avenue intersection, more traffic will be forced into the Greenbrier neighborhood, said Village Engineer Mark Schoeffmann. Village trustees agreed last month to outline their differences with the state agency where the western segment of Palatine Road is concerned. A response from IDOT is yet to be received, Schoeffmann said.
Village officials also promised more information on the ad hoc committee on Palatine Road, village board meetings and other events will be posted on the village's Web site, www.vah.com, and on local cable television access channels - 6 on Americast and 17 on AT&T.
Davis, Jon