Heated Opposition Over Proposed Asphalt Plant In Burr Ridge

BURR RIDGE, IL — Burr Ridge residents have raised opposition to a planned 21-acre asphalt plant that would be built near Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve. At a recent village zoning meeting, several residents expressed concerns about how chemicals from the plant would affect local flora and wildlife, along with the many families that live nearby.

The proposed asphalt plant would be built in unincorporated DuPage County at 9900 South Route 83, just a mile from the Falling Waters subdivision, Chicago Tribune reports. This puts the plant roughly 2,000 feet from the edge of Burr Ridge and the village has challenged the construction company's requested permit.

Lorig Construction Co., which has requested the permit for the asphalt plant, told Chicago Tribune the plant would make 800 tons of asphalt daily. The Environmental Protection Agency, which must also OK the plant, has done extensive research on the effects of emissions from asphalt plants.

The DuPage Zoning Board of Appeals is set to meet September 28 at 6 p.m. at 421 North County Farm Road in Wheaton to further discuss the proposal.

>>Image credit: Dwight Burdette (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons