Now that the last hurdles are behind us, we are on our way to building one of the most sought-after highway segments in the history of Illinois. After more than four years of re-examination and research, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) released its revised Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in late December. The new study reached the same conclusion as the first: The project is needed to improve access between Will County and job centers in DuPage County and near O’Hare, to achieve land use and transportation planning goals, and to reduce travel times and improve safety within the region.
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IDOT’s final hearings on the environmental aspects of the I-355 extension from Bolingbrook to New Lenox marked the last steps on the road to approval. We expect the Federal Highway Administration to issue its “Record of Decision” on the revised EIS late this summer.
But what a journey this has been.
Almost 40 years ago, the Chicago Area Transportation Study and the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission identified a north-south link to Will County as vital to the Chicago-area transportation system. It was in 1962 that these planners recognized that growth in and around the metropolitan area would require a safe and effective north-south highway.
Since that time, of course, the population of our region has grown steadily, along with support for the extension. Today, the majority of residents still believe the I-355 extension is needed. Hundreds made this point when they attended public hearings in New Lenox and Lemont to make their support for the extension known to IDOT officials–and to prove, once again, that there is overwhelming support for the extension.
Just recently, a New Lenox survey found that a remarkable 86 percent of the respondents favored the extension of I-355. Thirty-six percent of New Lenox residents care enough about this important issue that they took the time to complete the survey, mailed by local banker Bill Laughridge.
The bottom line is this: The vast majority of the people believe that the I-355 extension is what the businesses and residents of Will, DuPage and southern Cook County need and deserve. People who live and/or work in Will County are forced to cross the county by traveling on local streets and roads–and they are faced with gridlock almost every day of the week. Then, when they need to travel outside of the county, there is no major north-south link to the metro Chicago highway system.
Illinois tollways are not inducing people to move to the collar counties–they are not adding to urban sprawl. In fact, Will County is the perfect example of this. It is the fastest-growing county in Illinois. By 2020, its population is expected to almost double what it was in 1998. We expect to add 42,000 new jobs in Will County over the next decade.
Are there toll roads bringing people here to live and work? No. The residents, the businesses, the jobs are already here, with more on the way in a very short period of time. We need the I-355 toll-road extension, or the congestion we now experience on local roads will seem like a fond memory compared to a complete standstill in the not-so-distant future.
Let’s roll up our sleeves and get this project underway. The time is now to build the I-355 extension.