A legal challenge could stall a much touted proposed expressway for Chicago’s southern suburbs. IPR'S Michael Puente reports.
Illinois and Indiana have partnered to build the Illiana Expressway. The east-west corridor is expected to one day connect I-55 in Will County to I-65 in Lake County, Indiana. The goal is to relieve congestion on existing roadways and create jobs. But a federal lawsuit filed yesterday claims the project will destroy natural areas.
Lenor Beyer-Clow is with Openlands. Her Chicago-based environmental group filed the lawsuit with the Sierra Club.
"We feel that they have not adequately studied, reviewed and really considered everything appropriately, especially the environmental impacts. All through the corridor there’s significant federally protected natural areas and globally significant species. "
A spokesperson for the Federal Highway Administration, the target of the lawsuit, could not be reached for comment.