Question of the day
Thursday, May 18, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* HJR23 supports building, via a public/private partnership, two additional express toll lanes in each direction on Interstate 55 between I-294 and I-90/94, and one additional express toll lane in each direction from I-355 to I-294. It zipped through a committee 15-0.
* From the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150…
SUPPORT HJR23 I-55 MANAGED LANES
THE NEED
I-55 has faced severe congestion for many years.
• Daily traffic has grown over 250% since 1980 between I-355 and I-294, 130% between I-294 and IL 171, and 94% between IL 171 and Cicero.
• Average weekday travel times have shown travel speeds consistently around 30 MPH for several hours each day on portions of I-55 both northbound and southbound.
• Historical data has shown that travel times on I-55 can exceed 60 minutes during peak hours in both directions; under congested conditions, travel times can almost triple.
While I-55 already experiences congestion, it is only expected to get worse as the southwestern suburbs continue to see significant growth.
• Population in Will County is expected to grow 67% between 2010 and 2040 and employment is expected to grow 110%, contributing to commuting demands on I-55 and further degradation of travel and reliability.
• Overall, daily traffic is estimated to increase between 33% and 74% along I-55 by the year 2040.
• The percent of truck traffic on I-55 ranges from 10% to 14% overall, accounting for 6-13% of
traffic during peak hours; these figures are only expected to grow.
THE BENEFIT
CMAP currently has the I-55 managed lanes project listed in their long-range plan.
It would include the addition of managed lanes within the existing median of I-55 between I-90/94 and I- 355. The corridor would include Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).
The I-55 managed lanes project ranks as one of the best expressway projects in the Chicago region to reduce congestion, improve access to jobs, and create a safer transportation system.
• It is estimated to provide amongst the best traffic congestion improvements of any project in the region by 2050; it ranks 1st in reducing Chicago region congestion, compared to all other proposed expressway projects considered by CMAP.
• It will improve travel speeds by 12% on the general purpose lanes in each direction.
• It will improve job accessibility by 47,800.
• It will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 34.1 metric tons per day.
• It will increase regional economic activity by $79 million as a result of improved travel times
leading to enhanced business-to-business interaction and access to a larger labor pool.
SOURCES
* NRDC…
Adding lanes to our state’s highways would increase greenhouse gas emissions, undermining the state’s goals to protect our climate. Highway expansions also put already overburdened environmental justice communities that live alongside them at risk.
In the fever dream of a film, Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner hears a whisper in a cornfield: “If you build it, he will come.” Well, that’s basically what happens when we add lanes to a highway—instead of reducing commute times and easing congestion, more people end up on the roads. Study after study show that highway expansions entice more people to drive and don’t reduce congestion in the long-term. Instead, they increase the overall number of miles people are traveling using vehicles, leaving communities with dirtier air.
Neighborhoods on the Southwest Side of Chicago, bisected by I-55, already face some of the worst air pollution in the country. What’s more, these communities were not meaningfully engaged or consulted on this project that would directly impact their lives, and the environmental analysis for this project is years old and arguably obsolete.
Increased highway capacity will lead to more harmful emissions in an area already overburdened by high asthma rates and other chronic health problems, doubling down on the shameful history of prioritizing harmful transportation infrastructure over the health and safety of communities of color living nearby.
State leaders should be working to reduce the amount of vehicular traffic generating harmful air pollution, not expand it.
…Adding… Another analysis from the Metropolitan Planning Council and several environmental/transportation groups…
The I-55 Expansion Would Increase Pollution and Make Vulnerable People Sick
● Residents of neighborhoods on the Southwest Side of Chicago face some of the greatest impacts of pollution in the country. Expanding highway capacity will incentivize more driving and more harmful emissions in an area already burdened by high asthma rates and other chronic health problems1.
● New lanes on I-55 – even managed lanes – will double down on the shameful history of prioritizing harmful transportation infrastructure over the health and safety of communities of color living nearby.
The I-55 Expansion Would Worsen Climate Change and Environmental Injustice
● This project will increase carbon pollution, directly contradicting Illinois’ commitment to achieving the Paris Climate Agreement2 targets.
● This project would set back Chicago and Illinois’ progress towards addressing a long history of civil rights violations from harmful land use, zoning and transportation infrastructure decisions that have decimated communities of color.
The I-55 Expansion Would Add More Cars and Leave Us With Congested Roads
● Study after study has shown we can’t build our way out of congestion. Adding new highway lanes results in more driving due to the urban planning principle of “induced demand,” and new roadway capacity will inevitably be filled within a few years.
● This project would add an estimated 80 lane-miles to I-55, which could generate the equivalent of more than 50,000 added vehicles a year to our roads.
Communities Were Not Consulted On the I-55 Highway Expansion and Its Environmental Analysis Is Obsolete
● Environmental analysis for this project, including its assumptions about health and climate impacts, is several years old and obsolete.
● Neighborhoods affected by this project have not been appropriately consulted or engaged in discussions of a project that will critically impact their lives.
The I-55 Highway Expansion Is Expensive; Other Projects Offer More Job Opportunities
● Highway construction costs have gone up 50% in two years due to major inflation in cost of materials.5 Even if this were built via a public-private partnership, very high tolls would be needed – similar projects’ tolls have exceeded $40 per trip at times6.
● Investments in public transit and highway maintenance produce more jobs per dollar than highway expansion.
The I-55 Highw ay Expansion Is a Repackaged Bruce Rauner Priority
Former Gov. Rauner tried throughout his term to authorize the expansion of I-55. The General Assembly stood firm and refused to sign off on an expensive project that will harm our environment and communities. They should do it again.
* The Question: Build the lanes or no? Please make sure to explain your answer. Thanks.
