As expected, the Illinois Department of Tranportation proposed in mid-June that the Illiana Expressway be a tollway, sparking anticipated uproar from the area residents against a project they already have been no fans of.
“I don’t care for it. I’ve never cared for it,” Tom Spangler said, adding that IDOT’s tweaks to the plan don’t make it any better. “The only changes that would make me happy is no build, period.”
IDOT also presented additional route alterations at the June 18 meeting including the following:
-Two more potential interchanges have been added — one at Wilton Center Road and another at Illinois 50 — that would bring the total number of interchanges along the Illiana to eight in Illinois and three in Indiana.
-Twelve more local roads, seven in Illinois and five in Indiana, will be open and won’t dead end at the highway under the revised plan. And the planned route also has shifted south in the Beecher area to avoid splitting farmland.
Other landowners chimed in: “I just think the entire program is a political boondoggle,” Dennis Bender said, citing the state’s severe financial problems. “And they want to blow another $1 billion or $2 billion on something that is not necessary.”
Full Story here.
If you think you may be affected by the Illiana Expressway and/or are interested in a free consultation, contact our eminent domain landowner attorneys at 1-888-318-3761 or visit us on the web at www.landownerattorneys.com.
