The Cook County Highway Department will host a transportation plan public information meeting in the commissioners’ room at the Cook County courthouse at 6 p.m., Thursday, March 5, 2020. Interested parties are encouraged to attend.
The meeting is a follow-up to the department’s 2019 transportation plan survey, to which over 200 residents and visitors responded. The goal of the survey was to garner input for developing the county’s longrange transportation plan.
According to Highway Engineer Krysten Foster, a strong majority of respondents indicated that preserving, maintaining, fixing and improving existing roads is a higher priority than replacing bridges, adding system mileage, or investing in sidewalks and trails. Additionally, 75 percent of respondents stated that they are not willing to pay higher property taxes for better roads.
The March 5 meeting will discuss how these desires translate to specific projects in light of a projected annual construction budget of $1.5 million for state-aid highways and $100,000 to $150,000 for local road and bridge construction contracts.
The Transportation Plan Steering Committee intends to utilize the information gathered at the March 5 meeting to reconvene in mid-March and recommend a twenty-year plan to the county board this spring.
The Highway Department thanks all who have participated in this process. Any questions can be directed to the Highway Department at (218) 387-3014.
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