Illiana Corridor progress

[Brandon]

When serious talks about a 3rd Chicago-area airport south of town start gaining traction, then the pressure will be on to take the Illiana off the back burner. 

It's already needed due to the massive intermodal centers on the west end of it.  There's two now with a third on the way.

[ChiMilNet]

When serious talks about a 3rd Chicago-area airport south of town start gaining traction, then the pressure will be on to take the Illiana off the back burner. 

It's already needed due to the massive intermodal centers on the west end of it.  There's two now with a third on the way.

Didn't IDOT just spend tens of millions of dollars to upgrade the interchange on I-55 near the intermodal centers? I know there was a lot of construction that just wrapped up around that area on I-55.

[Stratuscaster]

That still ends up dumping huge numbers of trucks onto I-80 heading east.

[Brandon]

That still ends up dumping huge numbers of trucks onto I-80 heading east.

And onto county highways as well.

[Lyon Wonder]

Will County Residents Deliver Petitions Against Illiana Tollway

Will County residents delivered close to 13,000 petitions to state offices on Wednesday calling on Gov. Bruce Rauner to drop plans for the Illiana Tollway.

Those against the proposed expressway call it a boondoggle that will cost taxpayers money and farmland, while adversely affecting those who live near the designated area for the would-be tollway.

"When this process began we worried that we were alone, but the overwhelming response to this petition drive from taxpayers across the state lets me know that we have a chance to stop this boondoggle before it goes any further," said Virginia Hamann, who lives close to the proposed expressway and spearheads the organization No Illiana 4 Us.

Hamann's group rounded up some 4,500 petition signatures, while other organizations including Sierra Club, Openlands, Environmental Law & Policy Center, Active Transportation Alliance and Illinois PIRG collected thousands more, amounting to a collective total of 12,856 signatures from all the participating parties.

The proposed tollway is expected to cost $1.1 billion, according to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. Last month, Rauner issued an executive order putting a stop to progress on the public-private partnership until a cost-benefit analysis is done on the proposed 47-mile tollway, which would connect Illinois' I-55 to Indiana's I-65.

http://progressillinois.com/news/content/2015/02/18/will-county-residents-deliver-petitions-against-illiana-tollway

[Brandon]

^^ And they are a very vocal and small minority.  The Will County Board, on the other hand, is solidly behind the building of the Illiana.  it needs to be built for the expanding intermodal centers at the western end of the road.  otherwise, these twits are going to have trucks after truck after truck on the two-lane roads by the homes.  They nothing more than blind NIMBYs.

[I-39]

This should be built only if the Prairie Parkway is built and a connector is built. Otherwise, it is worthless in it's current form.

[Brandon]

This should be built only if the Prairie Parkway is built and a connector is built. Otherwise, it is worthless in it's current form.

Hardly worthless.  It's potentially a major connector across the county and will provide a much needed alternate to I-80 and the current 2-lane highways for a lot of truck traffic.

[I-39]

This should be built only if the Prairie Parkway is built and a connector is built. Otherwise, it is worthless in it's current form.

Hardly worthless.  It's potentially a major connector across the county and will provide a much needed alternate to I-80 and the current 2-lane highways for a lot of truck traffic.

You're still going to get traffic on I-80 even if this is built. It is not a true bypass, it does not tie directly into I-80 or 94, truckers will have to go out of their way to use it. Build it with the Prairie Parkway and it will be used heavily.

I-80 needs to be widened anyway.

[I-39]

This should be built only if the Prairie Parkway is built and a connector is built. Otherwise, it is worthless in it's current form.

Hardly worthless.  It's potentially a major connector across the county and will provide a much needed alternate to I-80 and the current 2-lane highways for a lot of truck traffic.

You're still going to get traffic on I-80 even if this is built. It is not a true bypass, it does not tie directly into I-80 or 94, truckers will have to go out of their way to use it. Build it with the Prairie Parkway and it will be used heavily.

I-80 needs to be widened anyway.

Plus, Rauner will cancel it anyway. Not cost effective enough for the state.

[Stratuscaster]

I don't think anyone implied that the Illiana would magically make all the traffic of I-80 disappear.

(Long-term it could be beneficial, but the politicians really only think until their term is up. Then they leave the bad stuff for the next guy.)

[I-39]

I just don't understand why it is necessary for truck traffic when you already have I-39/74 you can use as a bypass of Chicago.

[Revive 755]

I just don't understand why it is necessary for truck traffic when you already have I-39/74 you can use as a bypass of Chicago.

And all of the truck traffic going through the I-55 interchange with Arsenal Road or up IL 53 to I-80 would actually go down south to I-74, then back up north to rejoin I-80/I-90 or I-94?  Or go down to I-74, then east to use I-65 south of Indianapolis rather than use either I-80 or local routes to access I-65?

Both I-55 and I-80 need an much closer alternate option for the next time one of the Des Plaines crossings has to have long term lane closures.

[Brandon]

I just don't understand why it is necessary for truck traffic when you already have I-39/74 you can use as a bypass of Chicago.

There are two very large intermodal yards, with plans for yet another, at the western end of it.

BNSF and UP are in the image here: https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=41.429342,-88.124599&spn=0.109529,0.154324&t=h&z=13

The other one (BNSF) is going here: https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=41.342278,-88.197212&spn=0.109676,0.154324&t=h&z=13
(I-55 & Lorenzo Rd)

[mukade]

I think everyone understands there are intermodal yards in Will County, and we all understand that they are important to the economy of Joliet. Everyone also understands that the Illiana would have served them well. But the Illiana was not envisioned to to simply serve these facilities. As a matter of fact, the idea of the Illiana expressway predated intermodal facility plans by a long time.

When I was growing up and lived in Northwest Indiana, the idea was to have a bypass of US 30 which was congested and filled with stoplights even back in the 1970s. The US 30 congestion existed in both Indiana and Illinois, and the bypass would have at least gone from I-65 to Ill. 394. I don't remember if the maps showed it going to SR 49 or I-57, but the point was that it would relieve local, commuter, and intercity travel traffic through built-up areas.

Looking back through the years, in the corridor that was proposed, what sort of growth has occurred? In south Lake County Indiana, only limited residential growth occurred. The original general route (Crown Point, Schererville, St John) boomed. On the Illinois side, i think the south suburbs have generally stagnated until you reach Frankfort, Mokena, etc. (which are really far southwest suburbs).

What are future growth prospects? I would say uncertain, at best. Lake County, Indiana population has not increased. I don't see any reason why the south suburbs will grow substantially. I know some people push the Peotone Airport, but that truly would be a boondoggle which no airline wants. The businesses are established around O'Hare - not near Monee and Peoptone. How well did the expensive MidAmerica Airport work out?

So the problem those of us against the most recent proposal have is that the routing would not serve the original intent and there do not seem to be prospects for substantial growth in the area. Building a toll road where traffic volumes would be light and in an area with limited growth is a very bad idea. I just do not see investing billions of dollars of public money to subsidize BNSF.

From an Indiana perspective, what would be good to see in my opinion, is a scaled back project following a route more toward Crown Point/Merrillville, Schererville, and St. John. If such as an expressway bypassing Southlake Mall and connecting I-65 to Ill. 394 were built, this would be well worth the investment unlike the tollway proposal that might benefit a few truckers. Illinois residents know their area better, but I bet some similar, scaled back project would reap dividends.

[3467]

http://capitolfax.com/2015/03/26/illiana-cover-up/#comments
The latest ..............................

[johndoe780]

http://capitolfax.com/2015/03/26/illiana-cover-up/#comments
The latest ..............................

I'm not surprised. Illiana should be a dead project. Until or if Peotene airport is constructed, Illiana will never be successful. I hope Gov. Rauner does the right thing and kills this project in its entirety. There's been way too many useless planning and study projects wasted already.

Right now, there's much more important projects that need to be completed. Elgin O'hare western extension, Kennedy and Eisenhower reconstruction, etc.

[3467]

I am going to stand in the middle and get run down by the gung ho supporters and those that think its a total waste. I don't think it should be built now BUT the  corridor should be protected and then the ISTHA can look at if and when it becomes feasible . The Fox Valley freeway is an example of what I am talking about

[Brandon]

http://capitolfax.com/2015/03/26/illiana-cover-up/#comments
The latest ..............................

I'm not surprised. Illiana should be a dead project. Until or if Peotene airport is constructed, Illiana will never be successful.

Bunk.  There are two very large and growing intermodal facilities at the west end of the Illiana.  Even without the Peotone airport, it still will be successful.

[Henry]

If the Illiana proposal gets shot down for good, it'll come back to haunt future generations who will have to sit in endless bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-80 and US 30, like the current ones do now.

[silverback1065]

If the Illiana proposal gets shot down for good, it'll come back to haunt future generations who will have to sit in endless bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-80 and US 30, like the current ones do now.

It would be nice to upgrade US 30 to interstate standards from I-65 to I-69. 

[I-39]

I am going to stand in the middle and get run down by the gung ho supporters and those that think its a total waste. I don't think it should be built now BUT the  corridor should be protected and then the ISTHA can look at if and when it becomes feasible . The Fox Valley freeway is an example of what I am talking about

Exactly! IDOT is reluctant for whatever reason to use corridor protection, particularly around the Chicagoland area.

[Brandon]

If the Illiana proposal gets shot down for good, it'll come back to haunt future generations who will have to sit in endless bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-80 and US 30, like the current ones do now.

Exactly!  I'm sick of seeing IDOT District 1 focus solely on $hitcago instead of where the real needs are.  Who gives a shit about the Ike rebuild?  The last try failed miserably, and there is nowhere to expand it.  IDOT should spend its money in growing areas, not areas that could be better served by transit to take vehicles off the Ike.  This project takes what is brought in by train and bypasses $hitcago for trucks, keeping congestion out of there.  If anything, IDOT should start it as a set of Texas-style frontage roads with expansion room for a full freeway in the middle.

[RevZimmerman]

As might have been expected, a federal lawsuit was filed last week by a coalition of environmental groups to stop the Illiana Tollway.

News article link: http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/news/ct-sta-illiana-lawsuit-st-0528-20150527-story.html

[Brandon]

As might have been expected, a federal lawsuit was filed last week by a coalition of environmental groups to stop the Illiana Tollway.

News article link: http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/news/ct-sta-illiana-lawsuit-st-0528-20150527-story.html

A very small group of very vocal twits, most of whom don't even hail from Will County.  Sounds like the crap they pulled on the I-355 extension, and I hope it ends the same way for them.