Mel Thillens, state Senate candidate in the 28th District, has taken a lead role on a proposed ComEd electric transmission line along Interstate 390 to find an optimal solution to minimize potential impacts on the surrounding area.
Working with both constituents and town officials on the planned infrastructure for the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway thoroughfare straddling Elk Grove, DuPage and Cook counties, Thillens voiced concerns over possible negative effects on the surrounding jurisdictions of Hanover Park, Roselle, Schaumburg, Itasca and Elk Grove Village.
"It's not right,” Thillens said. “These communities have spent years planning and working on the functionality and aesthetics of the new Elgin-O'Hare Expressway. Now at the 11th hour, after the project is mostly complete, ComEd wants to come in and install huge electrical poles, in some cases just feet from people's homes."
Almost 400 citizens attended a March 21 public information meeting in the Village of Roselle to learn more about ComEd’s West Central Reliability Project, which proposes installing a 138kkV line on 140-foot to 170-foot poles along I-390.
Even the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) suggested that this project would have "a substantial adverse effect on the safe and efficient utilization of the navigable airspace ..." particularly as it pertains to Schaumburg Regional Airport.
Having participated in four town hall meetings on the plan, Thillens noted that ComEd decided to delay the project for six months after the most recent gathering—most likely, he said, due to public opinion.
"We need to keep working together," Thillens said. "This is a good first step, but we can't take our eye off the ball."
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