Federal Environmental Review Gives Illiana Expressway Project the Green Light

The Illiana Expressway project got a green light from a federal environmental review, allowing Illinois and Indiana to continue planning the controversial toll road far south of Chicago. The federal environmental impact statement nails down a specific route with the least harm to the environment, including one of several interchanges studied at Route 53. The Illiana's projected cost is $1.5 billion, including $200 million already spent on preliminary studies and adjacent road improvements that were already planned, according to a report. The Federal Highway Administration will now receive public comments for 30 days before issuing a “Record of Decision” that allows the project to proceed, which the Illinois Department of Transportation expects later this year.

(more on the progress of the Illiana Expressway project...)