Transportation chief on Peotone, potholes, Prairie Parkway and more

He's in the driver's seat at the Illinois Department of Transportation but it's not because he's an engineering wonk.

Instead, Gov. Pat Quinn tapped former state Rep. Gary Hannig to lead IDOT because he's a numbers guy and knows how the House operates, after serving 30 years in the General Assembly.

Hannig will need that experience to squeeze the most out of IDOT's lean budget and help Quinn do the impossible. The governor's budget plan announced Wednesday includes an income tax hike, which has been criticized by nearly every politician in Illinois.

Hannig, appointed as secretary in late February, defended the governor's plan and said lawmakers who don't like it need to "bring alternatives to the table" instead of carping.

But it was mostly transportation not politics I talked about Thursday with Hannig, a 56-year-old certified public accountant from downstate Litchfield.

There's a lot of ideas floating around on how to reduce traffic problems that also are radioactive politically. These include: congestion pricing - requiring motorists to pay higher tolls if they're traveling in rush hour thereby reducing the number of cars on the roads at peak times; and, a vehicle mileage tax - taxing people based on the distance they drive not the gallons of gas they consume.

Hannig noted that Oregon is studying a vehicle mileage tax and said he'd consider such concepts - if the facts bear them out.

"I'm willing to be on the cutting edge," he said. "We are open to ideas, but the case has to be made."

Another controversial idea is the Illinois tollway's plan to create carpool or Green Lanes on existing roads in the metropolitan area. Asked about IDOT promoting carpool lanes on the freeways, "I'm certainly open to any suggestions, but I want hard data," Hannig said. "We won't do anything unilaterally,"

Here's a quick look at where Hannig stands on other transportation issues.

• Railroads. The region split over the Canadian National Railway's plan to locate more freights on the smaller EJ&E Railway, which runs west of a Chicago train bottleneck. Hannig didn't take sides, noting, "The railroads are private concerns. They have their rights and the citizens have their rights and it will be sorted out in court."

He did back the more than $2 billion CREATE program, which aims to rebuild much of Chicago's rail infrastructure with double tracking and grade separations, to reduce the city's notorious delays. Quinn's capital plan proposes $20 million for CREATE, which Hannig contends would eliminate the need for railroads to find ways around the city like the EJ&E.

• The Prairie Parkway. Leaders, residents, farmers and environmentalists are divided over building the Prairie Parkway - a 37-mile highway linking I-80 and I-88 between Kane and Grundy counties. The jury is still out on the project, Hannig said, explaining, "I want to listen to the local leaders. It's an important part of the state and a rapidly growing area and we're trying to strike a balance."

• Route 53. Lake County is holding an advisory referendum on extending Route 53 north from Lake-Cook Road to Route 120. Again, it's a lightning-rod project that's provoked hot debate. "If we're going to do anything, we have to have the capital dollars," Hannig said. "Once we get that, we need consensus before going forward on such a project. We want everyone to have an opportunity to weigh in - then make a decision."

• Airports. Hannig, like Quinn, supports building a third airport near Peotone and he contends it can be done along with the expansion of O'Hare International Airport. "As we move forward, Chicago needs a third airport. And, we need to keep O'Hare and Midway modern," he said.

• Regionalism. There's a push to obtain a greater share of construction dollars for Chicago and the suburbs by urban planning groups here, who argue the region is an economic and population center that's been shortchanged too long.

"It's an age-old battle, upstate versus downstate," Hannig said. "I've been in Chicago three times since becoming IDOT secretary and I'm only in my third week. The Chicago area is what puts the state of Illinois on the world stage. I'm trying very hard to get to know the people and the players and work with the region."

• Fixing roads and bridges. "The (federal) economic stimulus is like lighting a match and allowing the recovery process to begin, but we need a capital program (in Illinois)," Hannig said.

• Potholes. They're cropping up like dandelions in May. Hannig promised that some stimulus money will go toward the problem and IDOT also will move forward with a pothole filling program this spring.

• NCAA picks. Hannig admitted to being a sports fan, listing Cubs-Cardinals baseball and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign football among his favorites. He regularly fills out the NCAA brackets, except for this year. "I haven't had a chance," he admitted.