Earlier this month, Illinois and Indiana finalized an agreement on the construction of the Illiana Expressway. The proposed tollway will link I-55 in Will County with I-65 in northern Indiana. Illinois will spend 250-million dollars on the highway.
Despite the agreement, critics are still working to stop the plan. Howard Learner is Executive Director of the Chicago based Environmental Law and Policy Center. He says the 47-mile highway is a waste:
"The fundamental problem here is that the Illiana tollway will not serve much traffic...indeed, about 1/10th the amount of daily traffic by 2040 that occurs on roads like the Dan Ryan, the Stevenson and the other major expressways," says Learner.
Learner says Illinois Department of Transportation estimates undermine the project. He says IDOT projections suggest there won’t be enough traffic to ease congestion and the tolls will be much higher than what is typical.