Morningside project still a bad idea

To the Editor:
The Morningside extension project sat fairly idle from the 2001 petition to 2012. In my last letter to the editor, I had mentioned 15 years, so I was off by a few years. When this project was brought back into the public’s attention in 2012, I attended several meetings. The point is, nothing discussed convinced me (and others) the project was a good idea — even some council members had their doubts. And the project still is not a good idea today.
The cost of the project escalated from $2 million in 2012 to $3.5 million today. In three years, this is over a 40 percent increase. According to a road construction company and engineer with whom I consulted, $3 million could provide a 4-inch mat of 7-ton strength street width for about six miles.
In my previous letter, I had mentioned the project area being 2.5 blocks. I didn’t include south of the tracks since a street already existed (serving that area of town), and I didn’t include the area north and west of a proposed roundabout because these areas weren’t in the original discussions of this project in 2001; my mistake.
It seems to me there could potentially be increased congestion at Highway 212, 10th, and 11th streets along with Coborn’s east exits. The engineers’ original estimate was 10,000 vehicles a day on the new street, whereas the most current estimate is only 4,000 vehicles a day. How can an estimate change so drastically in just three years? A 150 percent drop in vehicles?
After visiting with a county board member, not only will this Morningside project close Union Street, but it may close Diamond Street east of town.
For many of us, based on cost and need and with citizens and council members objections, this project does not meet the scrutiny of a good idea in the spending of our tax dollars. Let’s get the Morningside project on the ballot, and let the voters decide at the ballot box during the next election.
Gary Ballard
Glencoe