Ottawa, Ill. – The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will hold two public information meetings on October 4 and 5 to present the alternatives to be carried forward for further engineering and environmental studies. This is the latest step in the Prairie Parkway Preliminary Engineering Study. The meetings will be open house format, with a question and answer session at each meeting.

The selected alternatives resulted from an evaluation of potential alternatives to address the transportation challenges in northeastern Illinois, as well as from the hundreds of public comments that resulted from IDOT’s commitment to seek extensive public involvement. These potential alternatives encompassed a wide range of improvement concepts, such as widening existing arterial streets, new freeways, and transit improvements. The alternatives have undergone an evaluation to assess how well they address the four main parts of the purpose and need statement: improve regional mobility, address local system deficiencies, improve access from the study area to regional jobs, and improve safety, as well as an assessment of their environmental impacts. For information about the Prairie Parkway Study, visit www.prairie-parkway.com.

“We have reached a significant decision point in the Prairie Parkway Study. The alternatives advancing for more detailed evaluation represent the best balance for providing the most travel benefits, the greatest compatibility with local land use plans, and the least environmental and development impacts,” said Gregg Mounts, IDOT’s Deputy Director of Highways.

The two public information meetings will be held at:

Date: Tuesday, October 4, 2005	Wednesday, October 5, 2005
Time: 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.*	5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.*
Location: Yorkville Middle School	White Oak Elementary School
702 Game Farm Road	2001 Dupont Avenue
Yorkville, Illinois	Morris, Illinois

* Presentation and question & answer session at 6:30 p.m. each night

The public is invited and encouraged to attend at any time during the public information meetings. In the open houses, the public will be able to review exhibits and discuss the study with representatives from IDOT. A presentation by IDOT representatives followed by a question and answer session will start at 6:30 p.m. each night.

Both public meeting sites are accessible to persons with disabilities. If special accommodations are needed, please contact IDOT’s office at 815-434-8435, or TTY 815-434-8510.