The Olympian Drive expansion project will face both support and opposition at the Urbana City Council meeting Monday.

At the meeting, the council will continue discussion on the project and accept public comment.

According to the project’s memorandum, the Olympian Drive ordinance would continue the already existing Olympian Drive, located north of Interstate 74 in Champaign, into Urbana. It would complete a six-mile road expanding west to Rising Road and east to U.S. Route 45.

Urbana Chief of Staff Mike Monson said the city supports the roadway expansion.

“We want to pursue a design study of the roads,” he said. “We don’t have an abundance of industrial sites. A lot of local traffic could use this. It’s been talked about for a long time. It would be real good for connectivity.”

The completion of this road would cost an estimated $27.5 million and would consist of two lanes, two bridges and bicycle facilities. The memorandum states that the Illinois Department of Transportation awarded Champaign and Urbana a $5 million program grant for this project.

Monson said this project was initially proposed in the 1960s and was brought up again in discussion in the 1990s. However, this draft ordinance has faced opposition from the public.

Students for Environmental Concerns, or SECS, will voice their opposition to the project Monday.

Suhail Barot, treasurer for SECS and chair of the Student Sustainability Committee, said he opposes the project proposal. He said the project would support industrial development in the area.

“First and foremost, we have a lot of industrially-zoned land that’s not being used. They’re building a road in hopes that people will build factories there,” Barot said. “It’s an area that currently uses this as farmland.”

He said the city would be spending $30 million, or $750 in tax per person, for the road expansion. He said that ordinary citizens of Urbana will not benefit from this road but would contribute to the road in the form of tax dollars.

“I know the city is thinking about raising taxes,” Barot said. “They have to find the money somewhere. We are going to encourage all students (to go to the meeting) and hopefully they listen to us.”

Barot said he wanted the city council to listen to public input for the Olympian Drive expansion project.

“It’s the roles of our elected representatives to respond to what their constituents are saying,” Barot said. “The public opinion about this issue has been primarily negative and I think they should listen to that.”

Wes Jarrell, professor of natural resources and environmental science and owner of a family farm, said the road would be 100 yards south of his farm.

On Jarrell’s farm, they produce hay and cheese. They also raise apples, peaches, pears and berries with five full-time employees.

“It’s important to acknowledge that the agriculture is contributing to the local economy,” he said. “It’s not just vacant land waiting to be urbanized. We have not seen any significant study that there’s demand for this land use at this time in either Champaign or Urbana that will justify this project.”

The road construction would change the character of the landscape, Jarrell said. He said there would be more traffic on the roads and more industrialization in the area.

“We understand the need for jobs and more revenue for the city, but we want them to explore other alternatives and demonstrate that to the taxpayers to justify the investment,” he said.