Hinsdale officials have assured about 80 residents that the village will fight plans to acquire public and private property in Hinsdale for the widening of the Tri-State Tollway.
The officials said they have been notified that the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority intends to acquire about 2 acres between 47th and 55th Streets.
Village President W. Martin Gross said last week that when he met a month ago with Robert Hickman, executive director of the tollway authority, there were no hints ”that there would be a taking of property in Hinsdale.”
”We are going to clog this thing up,” Gross told a board room packed with residents.
Gross urged residents to launch a letter-writing campaign aimed at legislators and the governor.
Land-acquisition plans were relayed to the village only in the last several weeks because engineers did not tell the tollway authority of the need for more land until recently, said Scott Dworschak, a tollway spokesman.
Residents at Tuesday`s meeting also expressed concern about the construction of adequate sound barriers.
In a memo to the board, Village Engineer Dan Schoenberg said the sound walls are not part of the contracts currently out to bid, but will be built by the authority under a separate contract.
Dworschak added that he and two tollway engineers will meet with Hinsdale residents Dec. 4 to discuss the plans.
