Sobering News From Transportation Expert Who Predicted Gas Tax Increase
Sobering news at last night’s Rush 4: 2030 and Beyond meeting at New Lenox Village Hall.
Marc Poulos, a transportation export from the Indiana, Illinois and Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting says the best use for land in Will County are logistics facilities. Poulos says it’s not housing, it’s not retail and it’s not manufacturing. Poulos says he predicted the gas tax increase in Illinois as well as paying more for vehicle registration to raise revenue for transportation improvements. Poulos on Thursday night says NorthPoint is coming to Will County eventually. And a third airport in Peotone will be built.
That’s right, Poulos says we need a third airport to deliver all the Amazon packages that we need delivered next day.
He says warehouses are the economic engine of Will County and we’ve seen population grow 35-percent in a ten year period with future population growth estimated to reach 56-percent between 2015 and 2050.
Meanwhile, residents packed the Village Hall along with local mayors. Residents rejected the notion that more logistics facilities are a done deal. Jill from Crete says they fought off the Crete Intermodal twice and will fight it again.
Nick Palmer Chief of Staff for Will County Executive Larry Walsh says the County is working on two studies including the Joliet Intermodal Master Transportation plan in conjunction with City of Joliet, IDOT and Will County. The study will look at how to invest smarter to meet the challenges of balancing residential life with more warehouses. Palmer say we need to do a better job of coordinating with other municipalities to improve technology updates to mapquest and waze. Truckers following GPS may go down a road that doesn’t allow trucks because the GPS wasn’t updated by the municipality.
