Will County to ask Tollway for I-80 study
Residents’ safety & quality of life at center of issue
JOLIET – The Will County Executive Committee moved forward this week with a request for the Illinois State Tollway Highway Authority to conduct a feasibility study for the purposes of widening I-80 through Will County by creating an additional new dedicated toll lane.
“The portion of I-80 that runs through Will County is often congested and many times greatly exceeds the capacity it was designed for,” said Will County Board Speaker Jim Moustis (R-Frankfort). “With the limited road construction resources that the state has, we need to look at all options including adding toll lanes.”
“The portion of I-80 that runs through Will County is often congested and many times greatly exceeds the capacity it was designed for,” said Will County Board Speaker Jim Moustis (R-Frankfort). “With the limited road construction resources that the state has, we need to look at all options including adding toll lanes.”
Moustis said that he was encouraged by conversations that he had with the Illinois State Tollway Highway Authority about conducting the feasibility study. A similar plan has been proposed by others for the Stevenson Expressway (I-55) which also runs through Will County.
Will County is one of the fastest growing counties in the United States and is home to the largest North American intermodal center in the country. The explosive growth in population and shipping has lead to major congestion along the I-80 corridor and officials are concerned about lost economic productivity as well as the safety of residents.
“Everyone knows that congestion on I-80 has become a problem,” said Moustis. “We have to be creative to make sure that the residents here are safe and continue to have a good quality of life.”
The request for the feasibility study will be taken up by the entire board at their December board meeting. If approved it will be sent to the Illinois Tollway Board of Directors for consideration.
Will County is one of the fastest growing counties in the United States and is home to the largest North American intermodal center in the country. The explosive growth in population and shipping has lead to major congestion along the I-80 corridor and officials are concerned about lost economic productivity as well as the safety of residents.
“Everyone knows that congestion on I-80 has become a problem,” said Moustis. “We have to be creative to make sure that the residents here are safe and continue to have a good quality of life.”
The request for the feasibility study will be taken up by the entire board at their December board meeting. If approved it will be sent to the Illinois Tollway Board of Directors for consideration.
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