Urbana City Council Delays Action on Olympian Drive

A crucial vote on the Olympian Drive extension will have to wait three more weeks.

The Urbana City Council voted last (Monday) night to keep a package of intergovernmental agreements in committee until the April 12th meeting. Those agreements are for a state-funded design engineering report on the proposed extension of Olympian Drive through the north edge of Urbana.

Council members said they needed to know more about the potential impact of the project. And most, like Alderman Dennis Roberts, said they had received lots of email about Olympian Drive --- most of it opposing the project.

"I probably received way more people's email who oppose the road", said Roberts. "But I think like many people on the council, that there hasn't been a real honest discussion on what we expect to happen here. And what the impacts are, and what the design potentials are. And I think it's the responsibility of the city council to plan --- far in the future."

IDOT has asked the Urbana City Council to make a decision on funding for the study by May 1st. Meanwhile, land acquisition for the road project would be delayed because the Champaign County Board --- which must sign off on buying right-of-ways ---- has put off a vote, possibly until next year.

Mayor Laurel Prussing says the Olympian Drive extension would bring business and jobs to the north edge of Urbana. But opponents say the road would cut through valuable farmland --- and they question how much development would actually be attracted.