Supporters of creating a greenway out of land acquired for the defunct Route 53 extension in Lake County are celebrating a $1 million allocation for the project in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s state budget .
The report prepared by a consultant at the request of the Federal Aviation Administration says the project was requested through “direct input from corporate users” of the airport expressing a desire for a longer runway that would enable a popular jet model to make more nonstop flights to some international destinations.
The Lake County Forest Preserves District Board passed a resolution approving a memorandum of understanding with the Waukegan Port District to support its effort to get the Federal Aviation Administration's blessing and funding for a runway extension, which would require selling off some forest preserves land and has enraged environmentalists.
A Lake County Forest Preserve committee on Monday recommended approval of a non-binding agreement needed to advance a proposed $186 million project that includes replacing a runway at Waukegan National Airport.
A nature preserve? A bikeway? The Route 53 extension resurfaces as a task force formed to study the future of the land purchased for the now-defunct planned road.