I-90 Indiana Toll Road Expansion Planned

Interstate 90 -- the Indiana Toll Road -- will be expanding to three lanes from Ripley Street in Lake Station to mile marker 10 in Gary, Indiana, according to the Indiana Toll Road Concession, reports the
Post-Tribune.
Road work on the $215 million road construction project is scheduled to begin in 2008 and continue until 2010.
"We're going to maintain two lanes of traffic east- and westbound throughout the project," ITR spokesman Matt Pierce said. Work has begun on moving utilities and railroads around the structure, Pierce said.
Copyright 2007, Christopher Hedges .com, All Rights Reserved.
I-90 Indiana Toll Road Road Construction Indiana Toll Road ConcessionLabels: I-90, Indiana Toll Road, Indiana Toll Road Concession, Road Construction
Greatest Hits | Illiana Expressway News:
New Anti Illiana Expressway Coalition Forms
Illiana Expressway Toll Road Study Area Map
Gov. Mitch Daniels Drops
Plans to Extend The Illiana East Of I-65.
I-80/I-94 Part Of Mexico-Canada Superhighway
Illiana Makes Fed's 'Corridors' List"
More Congestion In Store Without Alternate Routes?
Will Northwest Indiana solve its transportation problems without additional road construction? The Northwest Indiana Times opines that region motorists should think carefully about the consequences of not planning for additional roadways.
This year, the Indiana General Assembly was considering a plan to study whether to build the Illiana Expressway between I-94 in LaPorte County and I-57 in Illinois. The road was proposed as a way to unclog the Borman.
The loud public outcry against the study -- not the road itself, but simply a feasibility study -- caused the Legislature to approve only a study of a truncated route linking I-65 and I-57.
People driving the region's roads should consider the consequences.
The region's location makes it a logical choice for the transportation, distribution and logistics industry. Intermodal facilities here could help relieve the bottleneck for rail freight traffic in and out of Chicago. That means even more traffic will be using the region's highways -- adding to the congestion if nothing else changes.
It takes many years to move a new highway from a concept to a completed route. The time to plan new routes is now, before the region becomes so heavily developed that new routes are hard to plot.
My prediction. Additional roadways will have to be built in this area to alleviate traffic jams and to facilitate new job creation. The Illiana Expressway will be built because to not build means a future of traffic jams stretching from the Chicago Southland to Berrien County, Michigan.
Copyright 2007, ChristopherHedges.com, All Rights Reserved.
Labels: Illiana, Illiana Expressway Toll Road, Interstate, Road Construction
Greatest Hits | Illiana Expressway News:
New Anti Illiana Expressway Coalition Forms
Illiana Expressway Toll Road Study Area Map
Gov. Mitch Daniels Drops
Plans to Extend The Illiana East Of I-65.
I-80/I-94 Part Of Mexico-Canada Superhighway
Illiana Makes Fed's 'Corridors' List"
Will High Farm Land Prices Affect Illiana Expressway Plans?
The proposed Illiana Expressway would cut across farm land in South Lake County. The Post-Tribune's Cristin Nance
details how land prices are rising for the 482 farms in Lake County that cover 127,742 acres because of increased demand for corn to produce ethanol.
A single crop is making farm land all over the country more valuable this spring: corn. The ethanol production boom has boosted prices to close to $4 a bushel. As a result, farmers are expected to plant 90.5 million acres of corn -- a 15 percent increase over 2006.
There are now 114 ethanol refineries nationwide and another 80 under construction. Ethanol plants are popping up all over Indiana and (John) Bryant (Jr) said it's driving up land prices as well.
The estimated value of farm real estate for the county in 2002 was almost $3,000 per acre. Bryant has heard of land prices in the neighborhood of $5,000 to $6,000 range.
"It all depends on where you are," Bryant said.
What will the high land prices mean for the future of the Illiana Expressway?
Will farmers (or their children) be tempted to sell their land if the price is right? Or, will high land prices make it more likely that farmers will hold on to their valuable land?
Will the Illiana Expressway have to be built as an elevated roadway as a compromise to save land while providing a needed transportation route as truck traffic on the Borman Expressway increases in the future as well as provide Lake County with economic development opportunities?
Labels: Corridors Of The Future, Illiana, Illiana Expressway Toll Road, Illiana Legislation, Indiana Senate Bill 1, Interstate, Public Private Toll Roads, Road Construction, Transportation
Greatest Hits | Illiana Expressway News:
New Anti Illiana Expressway Coalition Forms
Illiana Expressway Toll Road Study Area Map
Gov. Mitch Daniels Drops
Plans to Extend The Illiana East Of I-65.
I-80/I-94 Part Of Mexico-Canada Superhighway
Illiana Makes Fed's 'Corridors' List"
Schererville Historian Predicts Illiana Expressway Will Be Built
The Northwest Indiana Times ran a story detailing the history of the Borman Expressway yesterday that contained a
prediction from a Shererville historian that the Illiana Expressway will eventually be built.
(Art) Schweitzer said the current controversy over the Illiana may slow up plans for the roadway, but won't halt its actual construction. That's because prominent developers and business people are backing the road.
"The road will roll through," Schweitzer said. "It's just a matter of time."
My prediction: The Illiana Expressway will be built as well, but it is unlikely that it will be approved if Indiana has a Republican governor and a Democrat-controlled legislature.
Ellsworth Watch reported recently that an operative with funding from the state and national Democratic Party organizations has been
organizing people against the I-69 project, even though it has been popular with Evansville politicians for decades.
The economic development opportunities are too great to pass up and local Democrats have expressed support for the Illiana Expressway in the past. Plus, the estimates that highway construction provides
high paying union jobs as well as creating thousands of new jobs -- one union local predicts 47,000 jobs are created for each $1 billion in highway funding -- is too much for any political leader to turn down.
It might just be a matter of the Democrats wanting to strip out the aspects of the transportation project they don't like and also denying a victory to the GOP.
Labels: Corridors Of The Future, Illiana, Illiana Expressway Toll Road, Illiana Legislation, Indiana Senate Bill 1, Interstate, Public Private Toll Roads, Road Construction, Transportation
Greatest Hits | Illiana Expressway News:
New Anti Illiana Expressway Coalition Forms
Illiana Expressway Toll Road Study Area Map
Gov. Mitch Daniels Drops
Plans to Extend The Illiana East Of I-65.
I-80/I-94 Part Of Mexico-Canada Superhighway
Illiana Makes Fed's 'Corridors' List"
My Illiana Dream Expressway
Here's my dream Illiana Expressway that can get me to many of the places I want to go in Illinois while avoiding traffic congestion on the Tri-State highway.
Run the Illiana Expressway from I-65 someplace in Lake County, Indiana to
I-57. Continue the highway northeast to connect with the
I-355 extension that will meet up with I-80 near New Lenox, Illinois.
From the
Illinois Tollway:

The Illinois Tollway is constructing a 12.5-mile, three-lane extension of the North-South Tollway (I-355) from where it currently ends at the Stevenson Expressway (I-55) through Will County to I-80. This project is part of the Tollway's $5.3 billion Congestion-Relief Program to reduce travel times.
If this was the case, the Illiana Expressway would be an extension of I-355, providing easy access to Lake County, Indiana from Cook, Will, and DuPage counties in Illinois.
Labels: Corridors Of The Future, Illiana, Illiana Expressway Toll Road, Illiana Legislation, Indiana Senate Bill 1, Interstate, Public Private Toll Roads, Road Construction, Transportation
Greatest Hits | Illiana Expressway News:
New Anti Illiana Expressway Coalition Forms
Illiana Expressway Toll Road Study Area Map
Gov. Mitch Daniels Drops
Plans to Extend The Illiana East Of I-65.
I-80/I-94 Part Of Mexico-Canada Superhighway
Illiana Makes Fed's 'Corridors' List"
Does CAPIT Really Care About North Lake County?
An interesting exchange occurred earlier on the Citizens Against the Privatized Illiana Toll Road in which someone asked if CAPIT was really concerned about North Lake County, or if they were just being patronizing?
From the CAPIT No Illiana Toll Road
Yahoo group:
I have no problem with anyone who is either for or against the road and their reasons are their personal business.
However, I think you folks look silly letting these professional "activists" clowns hitch their wagon to your cause or visa versa, however it went.
Mr. Ahlberg was quoted in the Times today as saying that he is now (and I'm paraphrasing) deeply concerned about the plight of Gary.
Please.
Enough already with the patronization of those who have nothing to do with the reasons that you don't want this road. This is totally about not wanting a road through YOUR neighborhood and NOTHING to do with Gary or the northern cities, period.
After some remarks from the CAPIT membership, the groups' leader Dave Alhberg responded with his
comments:
I have exchanged several e-mails with the gentleman that first posted under this subject. He was reacting to how I appeared in the newspaper articles and after I explained what I had said that wasn't quoted in the paper, he saw things much differently. I hope to meet him personally at the meeting in Lake County on Wednesday. ...
The gist of what I said at the press conference was that while concern for our home and land was what fired us up in the first place, further research showed that there were far reaching impacts from a public works project like the Illiana Toll Road, and that it was a mistake to look solely at the project and not take a wider view of planning for the NWI area. What I said about the boarded up buildings and closed businesses in Hammond and Gary was absolutely my true feelings. We cannot continue to turn green fields to brown fields, and just because we want to protect the green fields, doesn't mean we can't care about the brown fields.
It's really difficult to boil these thoughts down to the "quotes" the media wants to print, and in this case, apparently I wasn't successful. That won't stop me from continuing to try.
Dave
It's great to see the opposition to the Illiana Toll Road Expressway is keeping things civil when dealing with supporters of the Interstate highway project. Maybe the back and forth between the supporters and opponents will result in the best possible outcomes for Lake County -- even if both sides don't get exactly what they hoped they'd receive when and if the project is approved or tabled.
Labels: Corridors Of The Future, Illiana, Illiana Expressway Toll Road, Illiana Legislation, Indiana Senate Bill 1, Interstate, Public Private Toll Roads, Road Construction, Transportation
Greatest Hits | Illiana Expressway News:
New Anti Illiana Expressway Coalition Forms
Illiana Expressway Toll Road Study Area Map
Gov. Mitch Daniels Drops
Plans to Extend The Illiana East Of I-65.
I-80/I-94 Part Of Mexico-Canada Superhighway
Illiana Makes Fed's 'Corridors' List"
Would Illiana Be Greatest Good For The Greatest Number?
The Herald Bulletin
raises points concerning the Indiana Commerce Connector that are applicable to the proposed Illiana Toll Road Expressway. Fears of uncontrolled economic growth can be controlled through zoning and other efforts cities, towns and county governments already undertake.
The key question is what promises the greatest good for the most people?
Writes the Herald Bulletin editorial board:
There is a conflict between the wish for economic growth and the desire to maintain small, intimate communities. A lot of times, however, it’s difficult to maintain the community without the growth that will increase the tax base. It becomes, like most everything else, a matter of compromise. John Stuart Mill’s utilitarianism said “the greatest good for the greatest number.” We need to keep in mind that commerce and growth would serve area residents well.
We still think the growth the Commerce Connector would provide would be beneficial to the communities it would link. (Pendleton Town Council President Don) Henderson said he thinks it will eventually happen. We agree and suggest we plan on it.
Unions -- who represent
90% of highway construction workers -- say between
42,000 to
47,000 jobs are created for every $1 billion spent on road projects.
Lake County could use some of the economic stimulation that would be created by the Illiana Expressway Toll Road. The prospect of creating 47,000 extra jobs and putting many hard working union members to work building the Illiana Expressway Toll Road is not insignificant and weighs the scale heavily toward approval of the project.
We need to ask ourselves what would provide the greatest good for the most numbers of people in Lake County, Indiana before we turn our backs on a project that promises to bring significant economic development to Northwest Indiana.
Labels: Corridors Of The Future, Illiana, Illiana Expressway Toll Road, Illiana Legislation, Indiana Senate Bill 1, Interstate, Public Private Toll Roads, Road Construction, Transportation
Greatest Hits | Illiana Expressway News:
New Anti Illiana Expressway Coalition Forms
Illiana Expressway Toll Road Study Area Map
Gov. Mitch Daniels Drops
Plans to Extend The Illiana East Of I-65.
I-80/I-94 Part Of Mexico-Canada Superhighway
Illiana Makes Fed's 'Corridors' List"
Highway Construction Trades 90% Unionized
Highway funding and construction
creates many union jobs, according to the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 139 Business Manager Terry McGowan:
These are just some of the reasons that a recent Cambridge study submitted to the Federal Highway Administration cited that for every $1 billion dollars spent on highways nationwide, 47,000 new jobs are created.
Half of those jobs are directly related to the actual construction of roadway, the rest are incidental to the new investment in the local economy, not to mention the expansion of the existing infrastructure in that area. I hold firm in my conviction to this philosophy.
In my years serving this industry I have seen the highway infrastructure program serve as a barometer to the state’s economy as well as the good and welfare of our membership, an organization that has been building Wisconsin highways for more than 100 years. It is also an industry that is more than 90 percent organized.
Labels: Corridors Of The Future, Illiana, Illiana Expressway Toll Road, Illiana Legislation, Indiana Senate Bill 1, Interstate, Public Private Toll Roads, Road Construction, Transportation
Greatest Hits | Illiana Expressway News:
New Anti Illiana Expressway Coalition Forms
Illiana Expressway Toll Road Study Area Map
Gov. Mitch Daniels Drops
Plans to Extend The Illiana East Of I-65.
I-80/I-94 Part Of Mexico-Canada Superhighway
Illiana Makes Fed's 'Corridors' List"
AFL-CIO: 42,000 Jobs For Each $1B Of Highway Spending
The AFL-CIO wrote in 2003 that 42,000 jobs are
created for every $1 billion of highway spending when it was warning American workers about cuts the Bush Administration had made in funding highway construction projects.
A billion dollars invested in highway construction creates more than 42,000 jobs. The drastic cut in funding the Administration proposes will ripple through the economy beyond construction to manufacturing, services and other industries and affect jobs and the economy for years to come. ...
Under-investment in the national transportation infrastructure leads to inefficiencies in transport and delays in travel for business and for the traveling and commuting public.
Adequate investments in highway construction are also a key building block for ensuring homeland security. Indeed, national security was one of the key reasons motivating President Eisenhower's commitment to building a solid, well-maintained interstate highway system.
Labels: Corridors Of The Future, Illiana, Illiana Expressway Toll Road, Illiana Legislation, Indiana Senate Bill 1, Interstate, Public Private Toll Roads, Road Construction, Transportation
Greatest Hits | Illiana Expressway News:
New Anti Illiana Expressway Coalition Forms
Illiana Expressway Toll Road Study Area Map
Gov. Mitch Daniels Drops
Plans to Extend The Illiana East Of I-65.
I-80/I-94 Part Of Mexico-Canada Superhighway
Illiana Makes Fed's 'Corridors' List"
'Ignoring The Needs Of The Future'
Morton Marcus argues that anti Illiana Expressway activists are
ignoring the needs of the future for shortsighted personal concerns.
On another note, I am disappointed that Gov. Daniels has withdrawn his support for the Commerce Connector around the eastern and southern sides of the Indianapolis metro area. I am equally distressed that he orphaned the Illiana Expressway east of I-65.
These were good ideas he put forward. Now is the time to pursue them.
Today the public outcry against these initiatives is too strong for a smart politician to ignore. Soon it will be too late to advance these projects because the land will be built over and the number and intensity of the protests will be much greater. The governor proposed what will be needed. His ideas deserved serious consideration not knee-jerk opposition. The narrow-minded occupants of these lands today showed again the human tendency to ignore the needs of the future. Rather than risk their ire, the governor stepped back.
If Mitch Daniels was a good bureaucrat, he would have appointed a "blue ribbon" council to outline the transportation needs of the state.
Then he could have endorsed their proposals with less identification of his own political career with the projects themselves. It is always sad when voters won't consider the rational programs of their leaders.
And these are the same voters who follow blindly a president who is bereft of rational programs.
Labels: Corridors Of The Future, Illiana, Illiana Expressway Toll Road, Illiana Legislation, Indiana Senate Bill 1, Interstate, Public Private Toll Roads, Road Construction, Transportation
Greatest Hits | Illiana Expressway News:
New Anti Illiana Expressway Coalition Forms
Illiana Expressway Toll Road Study Area Map
Gov. Mitch Daniels Drops
Plans to Extend The Illiana East Of I-65.
I-80/I-94 Part Of Mexico-Canada Superhighway
Illiana Makes Fed's 'Corridors' List"
CAPIT Plans Lake Co. Rally April 4
The Citizens Against the Privatized Illiana Toll Road plan a
Lake County rally at the Fairgrounds on April 4, according to their Yahoo message board (
free registration required).
Writes CAPIT leader Dave Ahlberg:
We have set up an informational meeting at the Lake County Fairgrouds, 4H Building on Wednesday, April 4, at 6:30.
This will be an opportunity for Lake County to show its strength in opposition to the I65 / I-57 Illiana Toll Road.
We need a LARGE turnout to show that we are not rolling over on the western section. We are opposed to the project, we are opposed to any study done by the state. We need to address this LOUD and CLEAR so that the legislators know there is "massive opposition" to the west end also.
This meeting may be the one and only chance Lake County residents have to show the Lake County opposition to the Illiana Toll Road. The Governor has stated that even the west end could be a Privatized Toll Road.
It's not over people! The whole thing could resurface in the closing days of the session. We need to keep up the heat! I hope to see you there.
It will be interesting to compare the number of license plates with "64" and "45, 94 & 96" prefixes are in the Lake County Fairgrounds parking lot that evening.
Labels: Corridors Of The Future, Illiana, Illiana Expressway Toll Road, Illiana Legislation, Indiana Senate Bill 1, Interstate, Public Private Toll Roads, Road Construction, Transportation
Greatest Hits | Illiana Expressway News:
New Anti Illiana Expressway Coalition Forms
Illiana Expressway Toll Road Study Area Map
Gov. Mitch Daniels Drops
Plans to Extend The Illiana East Of I-65.
I-80/I-94 Part Of Mexico-Canada Superhighway
Illiana Makes Fed's 'Corridors' List"
'Don't Pass Up Opportunity'
St. John resident Bob O'Leary
urges support for a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to improve roads in Lake County in a letter to the Northwest Indiana Times:
A key ingredient for a region to prosper is a good infrastructure, good rail and especially good roads. We do not have good roads. The Borman is a nightmare. I know people who won't even drive on the road, and it's only going to get worse. An opportunity, that until recently, is suddenly within reach to achieve improved roads, something to build a new economy on... logistics, and now suddenly I fear we are about to blow this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Labels: Corridors Of The Future, Illiana, Illiana Expressway Toll Road, Illiana Legislation, Indiana Senate Bill 1, Interstate, Public Private Toll Roads, Road Construction, Transportation
Greatest Hits | Illiana Expressway News:
New Anti Illiana Expressway Coalition Forms
Illiana Expressway Toll Road Study Area Map
Gov. Mitch Daniels Drops
Plans to Extend The Illiana East Of I-65.
I-80/I-94 Part Of Mexico-Canada Superhighway
Illiana Makes Fed's 'Corridors' List"
CAPIT Teams Up With Pro-Transit Groups, But Doesn't Support 1% Tax
Citizens Against the Privatized
Illiana Toll Road has teamed up with transit supporters, but remains neutral on a 1% food and beverage tax to pay for the public transit services,
reports the Northwest Indiana Times.
A group opposing the proposed Illiana Expressway is has agreed to team up with the Interfaith Federation and Save the Dunes Council to support what they are calling smart growth across the Region.
Citizens Against Privatized Illiana Toll Road also is distancing itself from a claim that it supports a 1 percent food and beverage tax to support regional busing.
Dave Ahlberg, president of Citizens Against Privatized Illiana Toll Road, said the inaccurate claim was the result of a misunderstanding that arose when his group agreed to team up with the Interfaith Federation and Save the Dunes Council.
CAPIT is neutral on the proposed tax, he said. But the group does share the coalition's opposition to the Illiana Expressway project and the call for alternative forms of transportation.
"We're just a group of like-minded people in some areas," Ahlberg said.
CAPIT's support for the tax was included in a press release announcing a press conference today on the new coalition.
CAPIT's neutral tax position makes sense because it has often been argued that rural areas end up subsidizing urban mass transit without any corresponding benefits for those taxpayers.
It would be interesting if a rural mass transit system could be developed that would be self-supporting, that wouldn't encourage sprawl (a
NIRPC document shows some
complain a Lowell South Shore Line might cause sprawl), and would be able to meet the needs of people in areas less densely populated than urban and suburban areas. But, it is likely that any such system would require heavy taxpayer subsidies to be able to operate.
Labels: CAPIT, Corridors Of The Future, Illiana, Illiana Expressway Toll Road, Illiana Legislation, Indiana Senate Bill 1, Interstate, Public Private Toll Roads, Road Construction, Transportation
Greatest Hits | Illiana Expressway News:
New Anti Illiana Expressway Coalition Forms
Illiana Expressway Toll Road Study Area Map
Gov. Mitch Daniels Drops
Plans to Extend The Illiana East Of I-65.
I-80/I-94 Part Of Mexico-Canada Superhighway
Illiana Makes Fed's 'Corridors' List"
Pursue Revised Illiana Plan Says Post-Tribune
Lake County needs the revised Illiana Expressway for Lake County's economic growth, says the
editorial board of the Post-Tribune.
Although the governor has altered his plan, we encourage the many planning and economic development groups in Northwest Indiana to remain supportive of the revised proposal for the Illiana Expressway. Given the demographics of the area between Lowell and the Kankakee River, the Illiana can be built with minimum disruption. If Lake County is to reach its potential economically, the Illiana must be part of the equation.
Labels: Corridors Of The Future, Illiana, Illiana Expressway Toll Road, Illiana Legislation, Indiana Senate Bill 1, Interstate, Public Private Toll Roads, Road Construction, Transportation
Greatest Hits | Illiana Expressway News:
New Anti Illiana Expressway Coalition Forms
Illiana Expressway Toll Road Study Area Map
Gov. Mitch Daniels Drops
Plans to Extend The Illiana East Of I-65.
I-80/I-94 Part Of Mexico-Canada Superhighway
Illiana Makes Fed's 'Corridors' List"
If State Operated Illiana, Would That Remove All Opposition?
Brad at the Everything Else Blog
raises an interesting point about opposition to the Illiana Expressway Toll Road:
However he (Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels) still wants to build the 10 mile section from the Illinois and Indiana state line to I-65 as a privatized toll road. I still object to that. To be sure I think it should be a toll road, because money is tight for new roads but it should be built and managed by the state.
The public-private partnership
controversy surrounding the Illiana Expressway Toll Road had been raised earlier by Dan at the Move On A Shut Up Blog:
(P)erhaps even more interesting, is that only a portion of the con position is about environmental and/or local concerns, rather it seems that there is a focus on being against privatized roads.
If the Illiana Expressway Toll Road was operated by the State, would that knock off the remaining opposition to the proposed new highway project?
Labels: CAPIT, Corridors Of The Future, Illiana, Illiana Expressway Toll Road, Illiana Legislation, Indiana Senate Bill 1, Interstate, Public Private Toll Roads, Road Construction, Transportation
Greatest Hits | Illiana Expressway News:
New Anti Illiana Expressway Coalition Forms
Illiana Expressway Toll Road Study Area Map
Gov. Mitch Daniels Drops
Plans to Extend The Illiana East Of I-65.
I-80/I-94 Part Of Mexico-Canada Superhighway
Illiana Makes Fed's 'Corridors' List"
Rep. Kuzman Favors Illiana, Reports NWI Times
Indiana State Rep. Bob Kuzman tells the Northwest Indiana Times he is in
favor of the Illiana Expressway Toll Road in a story about Gov. Mitch Daniels
dropping plans to extend the proposed Illiana east of Interstate 65.
State Rep. Bob Kuzman, D-Crown Point, said he believes the public should have been involved in the planning process from the beginning.
"I still believe the priority should be the South Shore to alleviate the traffic and it would be better for the environment," he said. "I support the Illiana, but I support letting the people help choose the route. I think the people spoke and the governor heard their input. From the beginning we should have utilized that approach and used a feasibility study to determine if (taking the proposed route east of I-65) was needed or not needed."
Labels: Bob Kuzman, CAPIT, Corridors Of The Future, Illiana, Illiana Expressway Toll Road, Illiana Legislation, Indiana Senate Bill 1, Interstate, Public Private Toll Roads, Road Construction, Transportation
Greatest Hits | Illiana Expressway News:
New Anti Illiana Expressway Coalition Forms
Illiana Expressway Toll Road Study Area Map
Gov. Mitch Daniels Drops
Plans to Extend The Illiana East Of I-65.
I-80/I-94 Part Of Mexico-Canada Superhighway
Illiana Makes Fed's 'Corridors' List"
Illiana Toll Road Debate Time
The debate surrounding the proposed Illiana Toll Road has generated much discussion in the local media and throughout the Internet.
In Favor of the Illiana Toll Road:
The
proponents of the Illiana Toll Road tout its economic development prospects. Building the road will create many high paying union jobs, as well as spur new business development along the route. The Illiana Expressway would alleviate traffic problems on the Borman Expressway by allowing cross-country trucks to avoid that often congested highway.
“This project would dramatically improve the economy of Northwest Indiana by increasing the quantity and quality of our region’s transportation network and improve the quality of life in the region by reducing the congestion on the Borman Expressway,"
said Construction Advancement Foundation Executive Director Dewey Pearman.
"The Illiana would improve the economy of the region in two significant ways—creation of thousands of high-paying jobs and creation of wealth in the region.”
Opposed to the Illiana Toll Road:The
opponents of building the Illiana Toll Road predict dire consequences for their way of life, the environment, and ask if there is really demand for another east-west route connecting Indiana to Illinois. Building the Illiana Expressway would cause further declines in North Lake County cities, Illiana opponents say, because it would encourage people to move further south.
"Progress to the people in this room is to live in a community where they have 20 to 25 kids in the classroom. Progress is having their children in 4-H and Cub Scouts and having rural ties,"
said Porter County Commissioner Bob Harper, an Illiana Expressway opponent at a meeting of Illiana opponents.
Who is right?
Sound off and leave a polite comment that will enlighten and pursuade.
Labels: Highway, Illiana Expressway, Illiana Legislation, Illiana Toll Road, Interstate, Road Construction, Transportation
Greatest Hits | Illiana Expressway News:
New Anti Illiana Expressway Coalition Forms
Illiana Expressway Toll Road Study Area Map
Gov. Mitch Daniels Drops
Plans to Extend The Illiana East Of I-65.
I-80/I-94 Part Of Mexico-Canada Superhighway
Illiana Makes Fed's 'Corridors' List"
Illiana Gets Construction Advancement Foundation Support
The Construction Advancement Foundation throws it support for construction of the Illiana Toll Road,
reports the Chesterton Tribune, saying the Illiana Expressway interstate highway project would "create 'thousands of high-paying jobs,' improve 'the quality of life for residents of the region,' generate 'wealth,' and cost taxpayers 'nothing.'"
“It is an indisputable fact of regional economies that as access to better transportation systems improves the region’s economy prospers,” said Construction Advancement Foundation) Executive Director Dewey Pearman in a
statement released on Friday.
“This project would dramatically improve the economy of Northwest Indiana by increasing the quantity and quality of our region’s transportation network and improve the quality of life in the region by reducing the congestion on the Borman Expressway. The Illiana would improve the economy of the region in two significant ways—creation of thousands of high-paying jobs and creation of wealth in the region.”
The construction group said that a mile of interstate highway costs about $20 million to construct in Northwest Indiana and would create 800 jobs.
Says Pearman:
“National data (indicate) that 40 jobs will be created for every one million dollars spent on highway construction. The job creation math for this project is simple.
With 800 jobs being created for every mile of highway construction, a 40-mile stretch of new interstate highway running through Northwest Indiana would create 32,000 jobs. Since the exact route of the Illiana has not been determined, and will not be determined until after a comprehensive study is completed, the highway could stretch to 50 miles, creating 40,000 jobs.”
The construction group estimates that Northwest Indiana trades people earn between $27 per hour to $39 per hour with benefits packages of $10 per hour to $15 per hour, reports the Chesterton Tribune.
Labels: Highway, Illiana Expressway, Illiana Legislation, Illiana Toll Road, Interstate, Road Construction, Transportation
Greatest Hits | Illiana Expressway News:
New Anti Illiana Expressway Coalition Forms
Illiana Expressway Toll Road Study Area Map
Gov. Mitch Daniels Drops
Plans to Extend The Illiana East Of I-65.
I-80/I-94 Part Of Mexico-Canada Superhighway
Illiana Makes Fed's 'Corridors' List"
Illiana Expressway / Toll Road Announcement
From
IN.GOV:
INDIANAPOLIS (December 12, 2006) - Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels announced today the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) have signed an agreement to study potential locations for a new interstate-quality highway connecting I-57 in Illinois to I-94 in Indiana. The proposed highway, known as the Illiana Expressway, would be publicly owned but built with private funds, not tax dollars, and operated under contract as a toll road. The highway would help relieve increasing traffic congestion in Northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland area.
"The Illiana Expressway would stimulate jobs all along its route, and help both the economy and quality of life throughout Chicagoland by alleviating congestion. The possibilities for intermodal distribution alone are enormous," said Daniels.
After selecting an engineering firm for the project, engineers will perform a full-scale environmental impact analysis and identify a final highway alignment.
The bi-state study, estimated to cost between $5 million and $10 million, is expected to take no more than three years to complete. INDOT will be the lead agency, and the two states will share the cost of the study. State and federal approval are needed before construction could begin.
Addressing the movement of freight will be a significant factor in the study. Rail yards in the Chicagoland area feed a large number of trucks using the current highway system. In Indiana, the Borman Expressway (I-80/94) is the
state's second busiest highway and half of the traffic is semi-trucks. The new highway would address these traffic issues:
- The current expansion of the Borman Expressway is the last because there is
no additional land available. This expansion is expected to handle traffic
growth for about 15 years.
- The number of trucks that use the Borman each is expected to increase by 50 percent in the next 20 years. Right now, there are 28,000 per day.
- 300,000 vehicles travel between Indiana and Chicago each day on the Borman, US 6, US 30, the Indiana Toll Road and local streets.
- The metropolitan planning organization for Northwest Indiana estimates that the Illiana Expressway would reduce truck traffic on US 30 by 59 percent and on the Borman, by 22 percent.
The costs of congestion are considerable. According to the Texas Transportation Institute, wasted fuel and time delays cost each traveler in the Chicago area nearly $1,000 annually. A national study, conducted in 2005 by the Federal Highway Administration, found delays due to congestion cost the trucking industry and its customers a minimum of $32 an hour, or some $8 billion annually.
The highway would be approximately 63 miles, with 50 of that in Indiana. Truck-only lanes will be evaluated along with the latest technology to facilitate the efficient movement of traffic and freight.
A map of the proposed study area may be found at this link.
Labels: Highway, Illiana Expressway, Illiana Legislation, Illiana Toll Road, Interstate, Road Construction, Transportation
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