The Illinois Tollway Authority is planning to celebrate the opening of its new 12.5 mile link from Interstate 55 to I-80.

A federal lawsuit delayed the project for 10 years. But perseverance has apparently paid off.

Joining the celebration will be the tollway authority’s former foe — the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, founded in 1985.

The event, called ‘Roll the Tollway,’ will allow bicyclists to ride the 20-mile loop on the unopened highway to raise money for a multi-use trail alongside the new toll road.

There is a $25 fee to participate in the ride, which could be viewed as symbolic of the first tolls paid on the new tollway.

The event fits the purpose of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, which is to encourage the use of bicycles as an energy-efficient, economical and nonpolluting form of transportation.

Members often lend their voices to organizations such as the Campaign for Sensible Growth, which focuses on smart growth in urban planning, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and other "green" initiatives.

They have supported like-minded organizations, such as the Citizens Against the Sprawlway, a coalition of groups opposed to the north-south Prairie Parkway on the far western edge of suburbia.

In the late 1990’s, the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation backed the Environmental Law and Policy Center of the Midwest, Sierra Club, and others that filed a lawsuit against the Illinois Tollway’s plan to build I-355’s southern extension from Bolingbrook to New Lenox.

In January ’97, the federal suit challenged the tollway’s environmental impact statement which resulted in halting construction of the project. Four years later, tollway officials paid for a new study that allowed them to proceed.

In the meantime, their project was bolstered by an ambitious marketing campaign designed to garner support from public officials. It carried all the spin the state could muster. By that time, the opposition had little fight left.

While the bicycle federation was not a direct party to the lawsuit, they admit to having offered testimony during the public hearings for the project.

So, is the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation’s partnering with the Illinois Tollway Authority, simply a sell out? Or is it just their way of getting all they can from a skewed system once they read the handwriting on the wall?

Randy Neufeld, a director of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation attempted to explain how the group went from opposing the tollway to riding on it.

Neufeld is a staunch advocate of bicycle-friendly transportation, smart growth, and all the tenets the group stands for. He served as the group’s executive director during the tollway fight and remains a director of the federation. He is one of only a few longtime members that remember fighting the good fight with the tollway.

"We felt very strongly that not having a road there was the best alternative," he admitted. But, he added that it was always assumed that if the road was built, that it should have a trail associated with it.

Neufeld identified a strategy - one that has been adapted by many. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Participate in the process.

After all, Neufeld and the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation has done a good job of making their voices heard. They have raised awareness of their issue and have won the battles they could. And, as Neufeld pointed out, they have had to work with the tollway officials on other projects. He said they have a good working relationship.

Neufeld has been around long enough to know how the system works. And he has learned to adapt to it.

Neufeld’s organization got what it wanted and then some. The two sides compromised. The bicyclists will get their multi-use trail, which is a positive for everyone.

What happened to the bike group smacks of big government with its taxpayer-stuffed pockets wearing down the little guy. And doesn’t it look good for the agency to schmooze its former enemy?

Government is all about the sales pitch. They offer little, knowing that if they can appease, the opposition might be easier to deal with. Then, they plow ahead, getting what they want.

After all, government can afford to play the waiting game. Often times they pay for their projects with other people’s money, and their livelihoods are dependent on the projects, however long it takes and however much money it costs.

Meanwhile volunteers, activists, and do-gooders sacrifice from their own limited resources, driven by their passions and overall sense of what is best for everyone, including future generations. They aren’t about the money and rarely even think about it when they begin such a battle.

Interestingly, the southern extension of I-355 will also be named the Veterans Memorial Highway; and it will open on Veterans’ Day.

What better cause for a controversial project. Who doesn’t support the troops, especially when the fighting men and women are on everyone’s mind? So, score another one for the tollway’s public relations machine.

There is just one thing that bothers me in all of this. I remember witnessing the passion that inspired people to fight the tollway in the first place. The emotions were raw and uncompromising. People acted on what they believed. And the people who fought the tollway believed that simply laying down acres of concrete and asphalt might not be the best or only solution to transportation issues.

To me, losing the passion and ignoring the vision gives way to a numbing concession that will only result in mediocrity. And that isn’t good enough. There is too much of that already.