Stop158's Counter Point to “Connector Vital For Area”

Dear Editor:

Because the Home Builders Association executive made misleading statements about the Gateway Connector proposal in a recent letter to the editor, we are moved to respond. In this democratic society, we have no quarrel with anyone expressing opinion or personal view. But if facts are cited, they should be accurate.

He says the Gateway Connector will "relieve existing congestion, create new economic development opportunities and link us more directly to a larger region that desperately needs to become more competitive."

Fact: it is well documented that new roads add to congestion, rather than relieve it. Roads are often congested shortly after they open; Frank Scott Parkway and Greenmount are examples of roads already congested. On the other hand, Scott-Troy Road, in the path of the Connector, is relatively underused. In many parts of the U.S., four lane roads are being reduced to three to reduce congestion.

"This important transportation project stands to be a model."

Fact: Gateway Connector uses an outdated approach that has been forsaken by many other communities across the country. Further, it is predicted on a feasibility study which reached conclusions that turned out to be wrong.

"This approach will save taxpayers and property owners tens of millions of dollars, as the Governor's Parkway in Edwardsville is now doing."

Fact: Governors Parkway cost just over $4 million, and it does not save taxpayers and property owners tens of millions of dollars. Using this logic, a Gateway Connector projected to cost more than half a billion would save at least $2.5 billion, which is obviously not true. Spending more than a half billion dollars on unnecessary highway construction does not save taxpayers money; maintaining that unneeded highway forever does not save taxpayers money.

"Growth...in the number of households..."

Fact: Growth in the Gateway Connector's three county area has been very small. The last U.S. Census reports an increase of 8,130 on a base of 534,512. That's a 1.5% increase in ten years.

Various villages and cities are growing in population, often through annexing land where subdivisions are being built. Since 2000 census, certain areas have experienced considerable growth, and until the 2010 census is taken, we will not know what the over-all impact has been on the Metro-east population. It is clear that some areas are losing and other areas are gaining population.

"Construction of the connector is not the death knell for communities in the American Bottoms. That area will see hundreds of millions of transportation dollars spent on construction projects."

Fact: it is well documented that building roads draws not only traffic, but development. Of course development in the outer rim creates losses in the center -this is easily seen in St. Louis City center, in the core cities of Metro-east, and it is apparent even in parts of Belleville, O'Fallon, and Fairview Heights, and elsewhere.

"A roadway that is critically needed now."

Fact: no informed person, including IDOT, considers this “critically needed now.” To call the Gateway Connector "critical" once and "vital" three times may be understandable if you are a builder who knows that "if you build it, they will come."

We understand the Home Builders Association's need to state a position looking after their interests, though we do not agree the position is in their best interests.

But we can not let stand their assertion that those who oppose the Gateway Connector are the selfish ones who "have unfairly criticized (the project) to promote their own selfish, no-growth agendas."

Fact: Stop 158 is not against growth; we favor smart growth, but not sprawl; we favor rebuilding and revitalization of communities now losing out to sprawl; we favor a new Mississippi River Bridge, and we along with many others are interested in metro equity.

Fact: Criticism is not "unfair" but rather an essential element in rational decision-making. We know that building trades in other parts of the country applaud the rebirth of core cities, because they see more sustained employment opportunities there than in highway construction.

That's our opinion, and our opinion is based on fact, not fancy. Visit www.stop158.org to see the many reasons the Gateway Connector is not just a waste of your money, but a destructive idea for all of the Metro-east, including the home builders.

Richard P. Ellerbrake, spokesperson