The Illiana Tollway, a proposed 47 mile Interstate Tollway that would link I-55 and I-65 south of Chicago has long been opposed by a coalition of environmental groups. The tollway is environmentally destructive to sensitive wetlands, will bulldoze thousands of acres of prime farmland in a time of climate change and growing food insecurity. It will increase urban sprawl and C02 emissions.
Studies have also failed to show that the tollway will ever attract enough traffic to pay for itself, leaving taxpayers on the hook potentially up to $1.1 billion dollars to pay for this wasteful and unnecessary boondoggle.
But a first victory has been achieved. In one of his first acts, Gov. Rauner has frozen all funding for the project. It is now hoped that with the undemocratic fast-tracking of the project blocked, that it will receive much greater scrutiny during later reviews and the Illiana tollway will be cancelled for good.
The limited access toll road poses a direct threat to a rich complex of state and federally-protected natural areas, such as Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, the Kankakee River, and the Des Plaines Conservation Area.
http://www.openlands.org/...
CHICAGO (April 17, 2014) – Today the Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC), representing the Sierra Club and Openlands, filed a lawsuit in the Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County to halt the proposed Illiana Tollway. The lawsuit contends that the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has no authority to continue developing the proposed 47-mile tollroad.
“The vote by the MPO Policy Committee—in defiance of the CMAP Board—was a politically-motivated vote for bad planning that destroys the integrity of the GO TO 2040 Plan,” said Openlands President & CEO Jerry Adelmann. “In addition to destroying thousands of acres of productive agricultural land and severing rural communities, the proposed Illiana Tollway would denigrate state and federally protected natural areas—including Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie—with noise, exhaust, and light.”
CMAP’s staff also found that the proposed Illiana Tollway could require a public subsidy of up to $1.1 billion. IDOT’s own studies show that fewer than 20,000 vehicles would use the Illiana per day up to as late as 2040. CMAP was well prepared to evaluate the project and spent years crafting a broad GO TO 2040 Plan, a framework for future transportation spending in the region.
Yet, the MPO Policy Committee, chaired by IDOT Secretary Ann Schneider, approved the project by an 11 to 8 margin, potentially makingIllinois taxpayers responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars in costs not covered by the project’s hoped-for private financing.
https://illinois2.sierraclub.org/...
The environmental and fiscal case against the project has been repeatedly well stated. But ignored to the point that the Sierra Club was forced to file a lawsuit. Forces in the Illinois state government continued to push the project forward driven by a short sighted focus on temporary construction jobs. Not at all unlike the push for the Keystone XL Pipeline. But after it's built and those few jobs are gone, then what? Is the environmental damage done worth those few temporary jobs? Is the lasting cost to the taxpayer worth it in the long run?
No! Not all infrastructure spending is a good thing. We must not be afraid to push back against the very bad and destructive projects even if some may see a temporary economic benefit. We must take the long view.
Critics — including Rauner's pick to lead the Illinois Department of Transportation — have said it's financially risky.
"The Illiana project is ill-conceived and unfunded and it could cost Illinois taxpayers a billion dollars," said Al Grosboll, legislative director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center. "As a candidate, Gov. Rauner said he would do business differently in this state and that it wouldn't be business as usual. Stopping the Illiana would send a strong signal about righting the ship of state."
The Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club, which has opposed the new-terrain highway, is cautiously optimistic, organizer Erica Dodt said. The environmental group plans to soon present Rauner with a petition against the Illiana, and so far has gathered more than 2,000 signatures from across the state.
"Financially, the biggest argument is this is not something that is going to stand on it's own," she said. "It will not pay for itself."
Will County Board District 1 member Judy Ogalla, who represents three townships the toll road would slice through in Illinois, said she did not believe the project would withstand additional scrutiny.
http://www.nwitimes.com/...
The fight isn't over, but a first battle has been won. And Illinois just moved a billion dollars closer to closing its budget deficit. Everyone wins - environmentalists and taxpayers alike.