Moving Will County Project: Take Part In Virtual Workshop

MANHATTAN, IL — The Village of Manhattan invites residents to take part in a virtual public workshop Thursday, Aug. 13 to hear about potential area truck routes as part of the Moving Will County project, in addition to initial findings from recent studies. According to a report from the Lakota Group — a company involved in the project with decades of experience in urban design, planning, landscape architecture, and historic preservation — Western Will County is part of one of the six freight land use clusters that the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s (CMAP) has identified in the region. The CMAP's ON TO 2050 plan "recommends strategies to maintain the region’s status as North America’s freight hub, while balancing community concerns and the economic benefits of freight," the report said.

The goal of Moving Will County is to achieve balance between truck traffic, industrial land uses, natural and cultural resources, residential areas, and agricultural business.

This rapidly growing cluster is described by the Lakota Group as having a strong specialization in modern distribution facilities. In addition, benefits and challenges have been brought to the area thanks to intermodal and distribution facility growth, as well as other economic development.

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The Moving Will County Project was initiated in the fall, and is aimed at addressing these challenges and build on recommendations of the Will County Community Freight Friendly Mobility Plan, with the combination of a Truck Routing Study and a Land Use Strategy. According to the report, the "joint goal of the studies is to achieve a balance between truck traffic and routing, existing freight land use clusters and new development, agricultural business, natural and cultural resources, and residential areas."

>> More information on these studies

The virtual public workshop on Aug. 13 will run from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. to present initial findings and seek public feedback on potential truck routes, and will also include short presentations from panelists, live polling, and a Q&A to hear from participants. After the workshop, there will be more online engagement for those interested in hearing or sharing more in-depth feedback, and for those unable to participate in the live virtual workshop.

More information and updates: Project timeline, details and Truck Routing Study Area

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