Times of Northwest Indiana
Last year marked the centennial of Daniel Burnham's heralded Plan of Chicago, including his forecast of a road flowing through the southern portion of Northwest Indiana.
This year, the Indiana General Assembly is laying the groundwork for construction of that road, the Illiana Expressway.
The new expressway, which would extend between Interstate 65 in southern Lake County and Interstate 55 near Joliet, would form one of the outer rings around the Chicago area, providing congestion relief for other overburdened highways, including the Borman Expressway and U.S. 30.
While it would be nice to see this road built as a freeway, the reality is it must be built as a public-private partnership to make it affordable. Indiana's pockets aren't that deep.
The key to moving this vital project forward is gaining legislative permission, including guidelines for this type infrastructure project that will guarantee progress, not postponement.
The Indiana Senate approved the Illiana legislation by an impressive 48-0 vote. The House must follow suit on Senate Bill 382.
The public must act, too. Attend Thursday's House Roads and Transportation Committee hearing at 7 p.m. in the Crown Point High School auditorium to show your support.
The General Assembly can help relieve traffic congestion and create jobs by moving forward legislation for this public-private partnership project.
It's time to build an Illiana Expressway!