Prairie Parkway
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This article contains information about a planned or expected future road. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the road's construction and/or completion approaches and more information becomes available. |
Prairie Parkway is a transportation proposal by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to connect Interstate 80 to Interstate 88 in the outer western and southwestern suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.
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[edit] Corridor Protection
In July 2002 a planning corridor from I-80 near Minooka to I-88 near Elburn was protected from development in Grundy, Kendall and Kane counties under Illinois' Corridor Protection Act.
[edit] Preliminary Engineering Study
A study was started in 2003 to examine transportation issues and possible solutions in roughly the same area as the corridor.
A report within the study indicated that, by the year 2030, there would be significant population growth in the study area and most of the area's roads would be congested as a result. Three counties in the study area - Will, Kendall and Kane - were among the 100 fastest growing counties in the U.S. from 2000 to 2004. As a possible solution to the area's traffic problems, a number of alternatives were considered, including widening existing roads, new freeways, traffic management techniques, and transit extensions.
In August 2005 President Bush signed the SAFETEA-LU federal transportation bill, which included $207 million for construction of the Prairie Parkway. The strongest supporter of that provision was House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who owned real estate in the area affected by the parkway. The SAFETEA-LU bill was supported by all 19 members of Illinois' congressional delegation as well as the state's U.S. Senators, Dick Durbin and Barack Obama.
In October 2005 IDOT presented three options for further study:
1. A "no build" alternative consisting of planned improvements to IL 47 and WiKaDuKe Trail independent of building a new Prairie Parkway freeway.
2. A "build" alternative consisting of the 34 mile B2 freeway corridor paralleling IL 47 to the west, connecting to I-88 northeast of Kaneville and connecting to I-80 west of Morris, plus upgrading a 12 mile segment of IL 47 from Caton Farm Road to Morris.
3. A "build" alternative consisting of the 37 mile B5 freeway corridor, connecting to I-88 northeast of Kaneville, diverting to the east crossing IL 47 south of Yorkville, and connecting to I-80 west of Minooka, plus upgrading a 12 mile segment of IL 47 from Caton Farm Road to Morris.
[edit] Environmental Impact Statement
In November 2006, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the project was released.
The current engineering study is expected to be completed by the end of 2007.
[edit] External Links
Prairie Parkway Preliminary Engineering Study
