Is Chicago done with new expressways?

[inkyatari]

With money problems, NIMBYism, and so on, is Chicago done building new expressways after the EOE / Ohare West Access is done?  Chicago has one of, if not the, most insufficient expressway systems in the country, despite some much needed highways (The Fox Valley Expressway, Crosstown, 53 northern extension, Illiana, etc.) having been planned or proposed.

I just don't see a future for highways in the Chicago area.  Even the widening of I-80 from New Lenox to Minooka seems unlikely at this point.

[silverback1065]

Yes they are (Imo)

[SEWIGuy]

Outside of improvements along existing corridors, IMO yes...

[quickshade]

Considering they are still investing in studies on 53 extension I would suspect that would be done in the next 10 years.

[vdeane]

What about the Hypotenuse? 

[Milwaukee, WY]

What about the Hypotenuse? 

Oh boy...

[johndoe780]

Funding remains the largest issue, which isn't isolated to Illinois either. It all depends if president orange is willing to pony up the funds for more highways.

There's plenty of future highway needs in places like Kane county, i.e. EOE West, connecting 80 to 88, etc.

In more Urban cook county, it's kinda hard to expand due to lack of raw space and they'd rather spend the $$$ on public transportation than highway infrastructure due to the density of cook county.

I mean if you look at metra Milwaukee West, Union Pacific West or bnsf. They'd rather spend the money and expand those lines westward to say Hampshire, DeKalb, sandwich, etc than to spend the funds with highways.

Just look at the expansion of the blue line to O'Hare or the orange line for instance.

[ET21]

Yup, unless they wanna convert established corridors to expressways which could mean major re-construction of businesses along said routes (IL-50 for the crosstown comes to mind)

[I-39]

Yes.

I don't see the IL-53 extension happening at this point. It is just too controversial. And the Illiana and Prairie Parkway are dead for all intents and purposes.

At this point, Chicagoland will simply have to focus on improving local roads and expanding mass transit.

[ilpt4u]

Yes.

I don't see the IL-53 extension happening at this point. It is just too controversial. And the Illiana and Prairie Parkway are dead for all intents and purposes.

At this point, Chicagoland will simply have to focus on improving local roads and expanding mass transit.

IL 53 North, the Tollway is still studying. It will take Political will to push it thru...

I think a renewed push for the Illiana may arrive, if InDOT and/or the towns of Northern IN are serious about having US 30 upgraded to a Freeway in Indiana. But unless/until that happens, the Illiana is dead

Randall Road should have been upgraded to an Expressway...but that ship has sailed. Probably even an Expressway upgrade of IL 47 has sailed at this point. Are you really going to build an Expressway between IL 47 and I-39? Sure, why not...But if you do, Southern IL needs the I-24 extension to Saint Louis, too! Because a North-South Expressway around DeKalb and Hinckley and Sandwich probably isn't that necessary

[Revive 755]

I will vote maybe.  No one has mentioned in this thread any possible extension/upgrading of IL 394 (which is likely if the South Suburban Airport takes off), and neither the Illiana nor Prairie Parkway corridors have been completely filled in by development yet to rule out resurrections.

If ISTHA does not propose any new construction after the Elgin O'Hare and Central Tri-State work wraps up, then I will agree with Chicagoland being done with new expressways.

[Joe The Dragon]

Yes.

I don't see the IL-53 extension happening at this point. It is just too controversial. And the Illiana and Prairie Parkway are dead for all intents and purposes.

At this point, Chicagoland will simply have to focus on improving local roads and expanding mass transit.

IL 53 North, the Tollway is still studying. It will take Political will to push it thru...

I think a renewed push for the Illiana may arrive, if InDOT and/or the towns of Northern IN are serious about having US 30 upgraded to a Freeway in Indiana. But unless/until that happens, the Illiana is dead

Randall Road should have been upgraded to an Expressway...but that ship has sailed. Probably even an Expressway upgrade of IL 47 has sailed at this point. Are you really going to build an Expressway between IL 47 and I-39? Sure, why not...But if you do, Southern IL needs the I-24 extension to Saint Louis, too! Because a North-South Expressway around DeKalb and Hinckley and Sandwich probably isn't that necessary

palatine road upgrade?? there is room to do something.

[ilpt4u]

palatine road upgrade?? there is room to do something.

I'd love to see it...

Palatine Road tries so hard to be an Expressway, but just doesn't quite make it...

I think Palatine Road would be a good one to "Keystone" or "Meridian" to borrow from Carmel, Indiana...

[Revive 755]

palatine road upgrade?? there is room to do something.

Maybe if Palatine is turned over to ISTHA.

Theoretically, IL 64/North Avenue west of I-355 could be upgraded into a tight expressway with frontage roads, but it would be much more likely to see a fourth through lane added each way - which a lot of the shoulder appears designed to accommodate.

[02 Park Ave]

Rauner will be out of office after next year.  I can see the Illiana coming forth again.   

[edwaleni]

In the Chicago city limits, nothing new (like the Crosstown) will ever be done. Only reconstructions and rebuilds.

In the next urban band around Chicago, only super-arterial upgrades and the ISTHA work around O'Hare.

In the first suburban band, the I-53 North Extension will be done. IDOT owns 90% of the land now which is all ISTHA will need.

In the second suburban band will include the IL-120 (Waukegan to IL-53 Extension).

The Fox Valley Freeway was killed years ago and suburban infill makes it too difficult now to plan for.

A connector from I-80 near Morris to the Illiana is still a possibility as the land is still easy to acquire. Really depends on Indiana and the Peotone Airport.

Even if it isn't "needed" today, they should still be purchasing ROW to stay strategic.

In the third suburban band, Prairie Parkway is dead and the current land use policies in this territory don't support the traffic requirements.

As far Chicago as a whole, the State of Illinois through the RTA already invests a significant amount of dough to regional transit.

With the onset of self driving transit vehicles just around the corner, transit forms like Metra and the CTA will continue to function for large scale mobility.

For local transit, look for self driving pods to replace buses on local drops and buses will shift to super arterials where streetcar/light rail is impractical.

[ATLRedSoxFan]

Not sure if this would fall in topic or not, but it seems one of the younger Daley's who has political ambissions, is proposing re naming the Dan Ryan after Barrack Obama, guessing the South Side section. There is a ABC7 Chicago link, but my tablet will not let me post it.

[Brandon]

Not sure if this would fall in topic or not, but it seems one of the younger Daley's who has political ambissions, is proposing re naming the Dan Ryan after Barrack Obama, guessing the South Side section. There is a ABC7 Chicago link, but my tablet will not let me post it.

It's a rather heated discussion.  I'm against any sort of renaming as Dan Ryan, Jr. (along with William Edens - the sponsor of the first state bond issue in 1918) was one of the driving forces behind the current Chicago expressway system and other Illinois highways.

[inkyatari]

Not sure if this would fall in topic or not, but it seems one of the younger Daley's who has political ambissions, is proposing re naming the Dan Ryan after Barrack Obama, guessing the South Side section. There is a ABC7 Chicago link, but my tablet will not let me post it.

It's a rather heated discussion.  I'm against any sort of renaming as Dan Ryan, Jr. (along with William Edens - the sponsor of the first state bond issue in 1918) was one of the driving forces behind the current Chicago expressway system and other Illinois highways.

Besides, wasn't a portion of I-55 through Dwight (of all places) renamed for Obama?

[ET21]

Plus we have I-57 and I-80 without names

[inkyatari]

Plus we have I-57 and I-80 without names

I don't know about 57, but 80 has the name Kingery Expressway, according to Travel Midwest.  I thought it had another name too, but I can't think of it.

[abefroman329]

Not sure if this would fall in topic or not, but it seems one of the younger Daley's who has political ambissions, is proposing re naming the Dan Ryan after Barrack Obama, guessing the South Side section. There is a ABC7 Chicago link, but my tablet will not let me post it.

It's a rather heated discussion.  I'm against any sort of renaming as Dan Ryan, Jr. (along with William Edens - the sponsor of the first state bond issue in 1918) was one of the driving forces behind the current Chicago expressway system and other Illinois highways.

But if they want to rename the Reagan after Obama, that'd be fine with me.

[inkyatari]

Not sure if this would fall in topic or not, but it seems one of the younger Daley's who has political ambissions, is proposing re naming the Dan Ryan after Barrack Obama, guessing the South Side section. There is a ABC7 Chicago link, but my tablet will not let me post it.

It's a rather heated discussion.  I'm against any sort of renaming as Dan Ryan, Jr. (along with William Edens - the sponsor of the first state bond issue in 1918) was one of the driving forces behind the current Chicago expressway system and other Illinois highways.

But if they want to rename the Reagan after Obama, that'd be fine with me.

Politics aside, he was a president that was born along the corridor, so it makes geographical sense to keep it reagan.

[3467]

His name is on 55 outside the Stvenson because he drove 55 to Springfield as State Senator. Daley doesn't want to talk about his failed family legacy so he is talking nonsense.
Go to 2050 at CMAP has all the expressway and arterial plans that are still live Maybe someone can link it I am terrible on the phone with links. But that plan is very good to split conversations here as opposed the fictional. Most fun is the crosstown never dies speaking of sort of Daley though he actually was not a big fan and kept changing design and slow walked it.

[Rick Powell]

Plus we have I-57 and I-80 without names

I don't know about 57, but 80 has the name Kingery Expressway, according to Travel Midwest.  I thought it had another name too, but I can't think of it.

80 thru NE IL and NW IN has three (and maybe 4) names...the Borman (in IN), the Kingery (in IL from the IN state line to the I-80/94/IL 394 interchange where it then becomes co-signed with the I-294 Tri-State tollway), and the Moline Expressway (west of the Tri-State), although the 3rd name is not seen much except on old maps. And the Tri-State if you want to count that short piece.

As far as the Obama Expressway re-naming, I think Bill Daley's plan is to remove Obama's name from the current I-55 section and re-apply it to the Dan Ryan in order to avoid double naming and confusion.