The Stop Longmeadow organization has revitalized its cause against work in the Longmeadow Bridge Corridor with a lawsuit that prompted a federal judge to grant a temporary restraining order blocking construction for 10 days after the rusty-patched bumblebee was found in Brunner Family Forest Preserve.
The insect was added to the list of endangered species in March, according to attorney Joshua Barney.
At a Stop Longmeadow organizing committee meeting, Barney said, “The lawsuit can delay the work on the bridge for up to 120 days, or the best-case scenario would be to stop the bridge completely.”
The grass-roots group hopes to continue its fight to stop construction of the bridge, which would go through Algonquin, Carpentersville and Barrington Hills, as well as parts of unincorporated Kane County. Proponents believe the bridge is necessary to relieve traffic congestion in northern Kane County.
Environmental groups have opposed the project for almost 30 years, and homeowners living near Longmeadow Parkway argue it will decrease their quality of life through added noise and pollution and be a danger to their children.
Sharon Lippner, of West Dundee, who attended the meeting, is against the bridge.
“I voted for open space. I feel like we have been lied to. This bridge will cut the forest preserve in half,” she said.
While the initial stop-work order was only for 10 days, Stop Longmeadow is hoping the judge will “require (the county) to do its environmental impact study over again,” Barney said.
“This group is energetic and powerful. The people are worried about the economy, the environment and their children,” he said.
As this fight has been going on for the better part of 30 years, it is hard to believe that the finding of the rusty-patched bumblebee has stopped this project, even temporarily.
But with the possible destruction of the habitat of the rusty-patched bumblebee, Stop Longmeadow might just have found what it’s been hoping for to prevent construction of the bridge across the Fox River at that specific location.. The habitat must be protected even it means the bridge must go up elsewhere.
Linda McDaniel-Hale is a Fox Valley resident who offers opinion on local topics.
