Download to calendar
Metropolitan Planning Council
The Illiana's costs are vague and its benefits are questionable.
On Oct. 17, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) MPO Policy Committee will vote on the inclusion of the proposed Illiana Expressway in the GO TO 2040 regional comprehensive plan. This will be the final vote to decide if the Illiana will be added to the list of fiscally constrained projects in the plan, making it eligible for federal funding.
If the Illiana is added to the list, it could jeopardize the funding for other projects CMAP has already identified as key to the region's growth over the next 30 years. Both the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) and CMAP staff have completed their own analyses of Ill. Dept. of Transportation data, and have subsequently recommended strongly against including the Illiana in the GO TO 2040 plan. Vague and low cost estimates coupled with underwhelming congestion reduction and economic growth projections suggest that the public's share of the $1.25 billion or more could be better spent on other projects.
MPC urges the policy committee to follow the recommendation of their staff and vote not to include the Illiana in GO TO 2040.