Illiana Expressway dealt another blow
A federal judge struck a significant blow to an already endangered road project Tuesday, ruling government approvals for the Illiana Expressway were flawed.
U.S. Judge Jorge Alonso called a Federal Highway Administration report and decision in favor of the controversial expressway "arbitrary and capricious."
The ruling heartened opponents of the road who had taken the U.S., Illinois and Indiana departments of transportation to court to stop its construction.
The Illiana "is a fiscal boondoggle, undermines sound regional planning, and would degrade the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie," Enviromental Law and Policy Center Executive Director Howard Learner said.
Alonso noted inconsistencies in one report estimating Will County's population should reach 1.37 million by 2040 as a justification to build the Illiana. Yet the report also factors population growth generated by the Illiana into the 1.37 million, which is a major flaw, the judge said.
The project looked on shaky ground June 2 when Gov. Bruce Rauner suspended it.
"In light of the state's current fiscal crisis and a lack of sufficient capital resources, the Illiana Expressway will not move forward at this time. Project costs exceed currently available resources," a statement from the governor said.
In 2013, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning said the Illiana was financially risky and could cost taxpayers more than $1.1 billion.