Illiana Corridor progress

[dietermoreno]

IDOT, Federal Highway Administration drop appeal of Illiana Expressway court ruling

http://www.theherald-news.com/2015/09/22/idot-federal-highway-administration-drop-appeal-of-illiana-expressway-court-ruling/at3yr0p/

Looks like a new environmental impact study would be needed, a new analysis of the no-build alternative would be needed, a new analysis of traffic projections would be needed, a new analysis of toll revenue would be needed, and hopefully after the traffic projections and toll revenue is analyzed a new alignment would be concluded as necessary.

It would make sense to build it as I-480 from I-80 in Illinois to I-80 in Indiana for traffic bypassing the Chicago megalopolis, but just building it from I-55 to I-65 makes no sense.  The farmers opposing the road don't need an interstate to drive across their rural southern Will county.

Why not just connect it from I-355 to I-65, if its never going to be built from I-80 in Illinois to I-80 in Indiana?

Perhaps give the IL-53 extension and the existing IL-53 expressway an I-12 designation and cosign with I-355 from I-290 to I-80, to have a continuous Interstate 12 designation from IL-120 and US 12 to I-65 in Indiana, and give US 12 in Wisconsin an Interstate 12 designation and extend it to I-39, with a temporary (or permanent unfortunately most likely) discontinuity in I-12 from the Illinois state line with Wisconsin to IL-120 and US 12.  The road direction would still be east-west due to traveling from Illinois to Indiana, so an even interstate number could be used.

Or alternatively, for a north-south interstate number, US 41 could be upgraded to interstate standards south to IL 120 and cosigned as I-41, then I-41 could be cosigned with the IL-120 tollway, then I-41 could be cosigned with the IL-53 tollway, then I-41 could replace I-355, then I-41 could turn east to head to I-65.

I-41 would make more sense in Illinois than I-12 would in Illinois in keeping with the original intention of the interstate highway system of having two digit interstates actually be INTER-STATE highways running though multiple states.

[Brandon]

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/41.6877653,-87.5217865/42.0608828,-88.0542571/@41.807807,-87.7109969,11z/data=!4m2!4
The cure for Illiana fever

Uh, no.  That in no way would ever serve the growing giant intermodal yards south of Joliet on I-55.

[US71]

Didnt mean to overload you or Mr. Brake. Its a pretty easy question.

Posting multiple times or in multiple threads is considered spamming. Ideally, you should have started a new topic thread with your original question as opposed to multiple posts across multiple discussions.

[triplemultiplex]

I-12?  What the hell?

I know I can be a little dogmatic about numbering conventions, but come on.

[dzlsabe]

We have have every Class I railroad, but one, colliding here in southside Chicago with many existing intermodal yards. And I-55 at present is the ONLY way out. The more I think about it, Will County should move to IDOT D3 as then these different needs wont compete for attention and funding like they do now.

Spamming? Some things affect several posts and it takes time for new or radical thoughts to sink in.

Heres the MAP  http://imgur.com/u9L0fFx Hypotenuse: Cure for Illiana fever.

[GeekJedi]

No. It's spamming. Perhaps you should take some time to understand how things work around here instead of telling long-term contributors how it's going to be. Internet etiquette and all that.

[dzlsabe]

Perhaps? How much time? How do things work? Could you splain it to me better GeekJEDI? Or try and move forward and reply with a thoughtful answer to some of the questions posed?
Or just give some more of your "contributions" to the ever-brilliant WI sign controversies.

[Brandon]

We have have every Class I railroad, but one, meeting here in south Chicago with many existing intermodal yards. And I-55 at present is the ONLY way out.

Hence the need for the Illiana and why it is not a "boondoggle".

Of course, you might realize that if you left Chicago every once in a while.

[dzlsabe]

I said southside Chicago, not sixty miles south of ChicagoDF. Hypotenuse, the cure for Illiana fever. If you think its still a good idea, get Will County into IDOT District 3. We have way bigger fish to fry up here in D1, instead of wasting scarce funds developing our one downstate county. And Ive left Chicago too many times to count, driven virtually everywhere in this country many times, lots of London, lots of Europe as well. A big part of our problem is a lack of concrete and imagination.

Heres the MAP  http://imgur.com/u9L0fFx   also see Hypotenuse in Fictional

[Revive 755]

We have way bigger fish to fry up here in D1, instead of wasting scarce funds developing our one downstate county.

And somehow this fictional project, which has not even been realistic proposed in the real world to merit this much discussion out of the fictional section, and does nothing for I-80 traffic, would someone jump to the top of the list over all of the other projects waiting in line for funding?  Between the Circle rebuild, any Ike rebuild, however many dollars rebuilding the north half of Lake Shore Drive takes, and a bunch of other illustratively listed projects, funds are gonna be a little tight for any brand new corridors, much less all of the engineering and environmental studies to even consider a new corridor.

[silverback1065]

IDOT, Federal Highway Administration drop appeal of Illiana Expressway court ruling

http://www.theherald-news.com/2015/09/22/idot-federal-highway-administration-drop-appeal-of-illiana-expressway-court-ruling/at3yr0p/

Looks like a new environmental impact study would be needed, a new analysis of the no-build alternative would be needed, a new analysis of traffic projections would be needed, a new analysis of toll revenue would be needed, and hopefully after the traffic projections and toll revenue is analyzed a new alignment would be concluded as necessary.

It would make sense to build it as I-480 from I-80 in Illinois to I-80 in Indiana for traffic bypassing the Chicago megalopolis, but just building it from I-55 to I-65 makes no sense.  The farmers opposing the road don't need an interstate to drive across their rural southern Will county.

Why not just connect it from I-355 to I-65, if its never going to be built from I-80 in Illinois to I-80 in Indiana?

Perhaps give the IL-53 extension and the existing IL-53 expressway an I-12 designation and cosign with I-355 from I-290 to I-80, to have a continuous Interstate 12 designation from IL-120 and US 12 to I-65 in Indiana, and give US 12 in Wisconsin an Interstate 12 designation and extend it to I-39, with a temporary (or permanent unfortunately most likely) discontinuity in I-12 from the Illinois state line with Wisconsin to IL-120 and US 12.  The road direction would still be east-west due to traveling from Illinois to Indiana, so an even interstate number could be used.

Or alternatively, for a north-south interstate number, US 41 could be upgraded to interstate standards south to IL 120 and cosigned as I-41, then I-41 could be cosigned with the IL-120 tollway, then I-41 could be cosigned with the IL-53 tollway, then I-41 could replace I-355, then I-41 could turn east to head to I-65.

I-41 would make more sense in Illinois than I-12 would in Illinois in keeping with the original intention of the interstate highway system of having two digit interstates actually be INTER-STATE highways running though multiple states.

I-12 already exists in Louisiana, using that number up here makes no sense for many reasons.  Keep it as a 3 digit child route of one of the routes up there. 

[GeekJedi]

Perhaps? How much time? How do things work? Could you splain it to me better GeekJEDI? Or try and move forward and respond or answer some of the questions posed?

Enough time to understand that you're acting like a jerk? There. I answered one of the questions posed.

[ET21]

Perhaps? How much time? How do things work? Could you splain it to me better GeekJEDI? Or try and move forward and respond or answer some of the questions posed?

Kinda hard to do that when we give you an answer and you slap it back at our face and continue to promote this fictional idea that will never work (if it did work, wouldn't you think this would have been built by now?)

[Brandon]

Perhaps? How much time? How do things work? Could you splain it to me better GeekJEDI? Or try and move forward and respond or answer some of the questions posed?

Kinda hard to do that when we give you an answer and you slap it back at our face and continue to promote this fictional idea that will never work (if it did work, wouldn't you think this would have been built by now?)

Or even seriously proposed, like the Crosstown Expressway (which, BTW, existed as an idea long before Madigan even entered the House).

[US71]

Perhaps? How much time? How do things work? Could you splain it to me better GeekJEDI? Or try and move forward and respond or answer some of the questions posed?

If the answer is that important, why don't you Google it instead of constantly harassing other posters?

[dzlsabe]

Crosstown? Rejected. Illiana? Rejected. Hypotenuse? Never analyzed or considered.

Again, why was the Ike and its extension called I-90 until 1978? Other than the Skyway, why are there no complete SE to NW routes on the southside? No guessing. Looking for answers that require thought.

Heres the MAP  http://imgur.com/u9L0fFx Hypotenuse (in Fictional) the cure for Illiana fever!  

[Revive 755]

Again, why was the Ike and its extension called I-90 until 1978?

Because there was apparently some change in "federal interstate guidelines" that lead to the renumbering, per a short blurb in the five star final edition of the Chicago Tribune on Friday, February 23, 1979.

[US 41]

There's no point in arguing with an 11 year old that is in the 6th grade. I've always found 11 year old middle schoolers to be very immature anyways. 

[Stratuscaster]

Again, why was the Ike and its extension called I-90 until 1978?

The Ike was originally built as I-90.

Other than the Skyway, why are there no complete SE to NW routes on the southside? No guessing. Looking for answers that require thought.

Define "complete". At the time back in the late 1920's, everything was planned centric to Chicago.

The plans were for a network of superhighways emanating from the Loop to the south (today's Dan Ryan), southwest (Stevenson), west (Eisenhower), and northwest (Kennedy), as well as a lakefront route (Lake Shore Drive). A north-south route on Chicago's West Side was added later and then dropped, to be resurrected much later as the Crosstown and then dropped again.

The Skyway came to pass when Indiana decided to move the terminus of the IN Toll Road to the state line at Indianapolis Boulevard and 106th Street in 1954 and Chicago had no direct link other than surface streets.

The blurb Revive 755 refers to reads:

New signs went up on the Eisenhower Expressway just west of the Main Post Office Thursday. The designations for several area roads are being revised to conform to federal interstate guidelines. The Eisenhower was changed from I-90 to I-290: the Kennedy between the Dan Ryan and Edens expressways will carry both I-90 and I-94 signs; and Ill. Hwy. 194. between Ill. Hwy. 53 and the Edens, becomes Int. Hwy. 90.

[dzlsabe]

Define "complete"? No SE to NW diagonals on the southside. US 12 & 20? West on 95th, north on US 45. Forever. Skyway? Lost interest at the Ryan. Even the most downtown Chicago-centric folks (myself included) will concede that theres no need to come to Byrnecircle and genuflect anymore. I-90 and 94 are by and large east-west routes for most of the country. Only here are they north-south because of that lake. So THE pinch-point is southeast Chicago, Lake and Porter IN. Not downtown. So if we want to start puttin' for birdie, we should aim there. Not downtown.

Heres the MAP  http://imgur.com/u9L0fFx

[pianocello]

So THE pinch-point is southeast Chicago, Lake and Porter IN. Not downtown. So if we want to start puttin' for birdie, we should aim there. Not downtown.

Hence, the Illiana.

[dzlsabe]

Ah, NO the Illiana has been summarily rejected. CMAP, IDOT D1, tollway builders/funders...We have already wasted $30M? and NO one is standing in line to build this turkey because it does nothing to address the SIX major traffic bottlenecks or the pinch-points in Cook County where most of the people live and the traffic occurs. And Peotone International will never fly either.

Again, for any that still thinks this is a worthy project, get Will County into IDOT D3...then you will have access to the 55% of state highway funds, instead of the 45% D1 gets. We have way bigger fish to fry up here.   Heres the MAP  http://imgur.com/u9L0fFx

[Brandon]

So THE pinch-point is southeast Chicago, Lake and Porter IN. Not downtown. So if we want to start puttin' for birdie, we should aim there. Not downtown.

Hence, the Illiana.

He'll never get the point.  He's got a blind spot to the southwest and south, not unlike many in Cook County who can't see past 87th Street.

[Revive 755]

Ah, NO the Illiana has been summarily rejected. CMAP, IDOT D1, tollway builders/funders...

Please provide a link to a news story where IDOT D1 rejected the Illiana.

The above agencies would definitely reject any hypotenuse corridor - too much ROW acquisition, too many 4f impacts, too many visual impacts, too much special waste disturbance, and way too costly.

[dzlsabe]

Google IDOT and Illiana and pretty much take your pick.

Minimal 4f on Hypotenuse...I think theres three parks and all would remain intact and usable. All air rights lease over rail ROW with possibility of two express freight rail lines with 4-6 lane tollway above. Beauty is in the eye of beerholder, esp. if it helped resolve FIVE or SIX major bottlenecks affecting tens of thousands of vehicles daily, as opposed to maybe a thousand on Illianas best day. $4B for a serious PPP project financed by railroads (and some of their major stockholders Messrs. Gates and Buffett?), CREATE, ISHTA, tollway funders, even the bastards that stole the Skyway is not unreasonable. There seems to be some consensus on a "Crosstownish" route at least from the Skyway to I-55 and Cicero Av. Then its a question of the more logical way to go from there. North to the Edens?(NO) Or NW to the Strangler? (Yes)
Heres the MAP  http://imgur.com/u9L0fFx

Still advocating for a transit rail line from Midway to JeffPark on the Kenton corridor. 

If you want to see what Illiana would look like, take a drive down to I-72 from ChamU to Decatur or Springfield. Has there ever been a traffic jam on that road since the day it opened?