Will County presents 'Way Forward 2050' draft plan, model and draft project list to committee

Will County transportation staff and consultants presented a draft long-range transportation plan called "Way Forward 2050" to the Will County Public Works and Transportation Committee, describing a county-specific travel demand model, a draft project list of nearly 200 projects and next steps in public outreach.

"This plan is a data driven plan," said Samantha Primer, planner with Civiltech, during a presentation that summarized more than a year of data collection, advisory‑committee meetings and two waves of public engagement. Jeff, the county transportation leader who opened the presentation, told committee members they had been emailed the draft project list and asked them to submit comments to Chief of Staff Pelkey promptly so the team could incorporate feedback before returning the final plan for approval.

Why it matters: the LRTP is a guiding, non‑programming document that shapes how the county defines goals, pursues funding and prioritizes projects over the next quarter century. The consultants said the county will receive the travel demand model for ongoing use to evaluate projects and adjust priorities as conditions change.

Most important facts: Civiltech described a modeling and evaluation process that produced two socioeconomic scenarios (a baseline and a higher‑growth scenario tied to major industrial and warehousing…