Residents oppose proposed gas‑station/truck‑stop annexation near Lamont Road, citing traffic and safety concerns

Residents attending the Village of Lemont meeting raised strong objections to the prospect of a gas station and truck‑stop (referred to as a Gas & Wash proposal) for property recently annexed near Lamont Road and the I‑55 frontage. Several speakers told trustees they have signed petitions and that no formal proposal or full application has yet been filed, but they urged the village to treat the prospect seriously and to require thorough traffic and environmental review if one is submitted.

Sarah Alvested said she FOIAed traffic counts and engineering guidance and told trustees the intersection at the northbound I‑55 exit and LaMont Road is short, with insufficient sight distance and limited room for truck storage or turning. She said replacing the traffic signal or creating truck‑safe turn lanes would be costly — on the order of a quarter‑ to a half‑million dollars for a signal replacement — and that narrow rights‑of‑way and drainage constraints leave little room for engineering remedies.

Carol Levitt and other Pleasantville residents said a DuPage Hazardous Task Force representative previously characterized gas stations as hazardous sites and noted a petition opposing the project; they urged the board and planning staff to require a full traffic study, stormwater analysis and environmental review if a formal application is filed.

Mayor Johnny Gavsky and staff responded that, to date, no formal proposal with traffic studies has been submitted; the mayor said if and when an application is filed it will require the standard engineering, stormwater, sanitary sewer and fire‑safety reviews as well as traffic studies and state agency input. The mayor said those reviews produce multiple technical studies that the village and outside agencies will evaluate before any entitlement or permit is granted.