If the Chicago Bears come to Arlington Heights, something else will come along with them team: traffic.
This week, the mayors in surrounding communities made it clear: they want to be prepared.
“Our top concerns are traffic. Our top concerns are making sure that the people who live in Rolling Meadows are not suffering because there’s a stadium that was poorly planned,” said Lara Sanoica, the mayor of Rolling Meadows.
Sanoica, along with the mayors of Palatine and Schaumburg, has sent two letters to legislative leaders and Gov. JB Pritzker asking for a seat at the negotiating table. A big question that remains is when the team will complete its traffic study, which officials say is required of the Bears for the deal to move forward.
“We’ve been waiting on a traffic study for more than four years,” Sanoica said.
In the letter, the mayors said decisions about infrastructure investments won’t be finished until the traffic study is done.
The mayors expect Route 53 will be the main route to get to the stadium, and they believe improvements will need to be made at these interchanges: I-90/Jane Addams Tollway, Algonquin Road, Kirchoff Road, Euclid Avenue, Northwest Highway and Palatine Road.
Depending on how the Bears design the parking facilities around the site, improvements may be needed to other regional and local roads.
“Our No. 1 has been 90. (Route) 53 and 90 … for decades has been a problem, and we’ve tried to get the tollway years ago to make some improvements. We’re very much a fan of the flyovers, like you have at 390,” said Tom Dailly, the mayor of Schaumburg.
Dailly said he’s largely supportive of the project and how it will bring business to his city’s restaurants and 30 hotels.
“We think that’s a great, absolutely great, location, and what can be done with that property, not just for the stadium, but what they can build around it — I really kind of envision that as kind of a Wrigleyville,” he said.
