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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The General Assembly must work to provide | ||||||
3 | efficient transportation methods that will grow the economy and | ||||||
4 | create much-needed jobs in Illinois; and
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5 | WHEREAS, The Illiana Expressway project is a proposed | ||||||
6 | transportation corridor between the northern portions of | ||||||
7 | Illinois and Indiana; the corridor is expected to be | ||||||
8 | approximately 50 miles in length, with 10 miles of expressway | ||||||
9 | in Indiana and 40 miles of expressway in Illinois; and
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10 | WHEREAS, The existing I-55 and I-57 highways provide good | ||||||
11 | routes for north-south travel through the area, but there is a | ||||||
12 | lack of comparable east-west routes south of I-80; and
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13 | WHEREAS, The Illiana Expressway would provide comparable | ||||||
14 | east-west routes south of I-80 Chicago and be the first | ||||||
15 | public-private partnership in Illinois; and
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16 | WHEREAS, Public-private partnership projects are the wave | ||||||
17 | of the future; Indiana has already used this model successfully | ||||||
18 | for several projects in their state, including the Chicago | ||||||
19 | Skyway and Ohio River Bridges projects; and
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20 | WHEREAS, Public-private partnership projects tend to be |
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1 | built faster, cost less, and are more efficiently constructed | ||||||
2 | than traditional highway projects; the projects allow states to | ||||||
3 | build great projects like the Illiana Corridor with less tax | ||||||
4 | dollars and allow taxpayers to realize all of the benefits of | ||||||
5 | the project at a fraction of the cost; and | ||||||
6 | WHEREAS, The Illiana Expressway is projected to generate | ||||||
7 | toll revenue that will completely pay for the project and the | ||||||
8 | operation and maintenance of the facility for the term of the | ||||||
9 | projected agreement through 2053; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Moving freight is an important part of the | ||||||
11 | Midwestern economy; the Illiana Expressway would provide a | ||||||
12 | bypass for trucks that allows them to travel through the region | ||||||
13 | without passing through the urban areas that currently surround | ||||||
14 | the existing expressways; and | ||||||
15 | WHEREAS, The Illiana Expressway would serve as a | ||||||
16 | much-needed boost to the economy; the Illinois Department of | ||||||
17 | Transportation has estimated that the project will create 9,000 | ||||||
18 | construction jobs and over 25,000 long-term jobs for the | ||||||
19 | region; and
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20 | WHEREAS, The Illiana Expressway would provide the State of | ||||||
21 | Illinois with an opportunity to invest in our future, create | ||||||
22 | jobs, improve traffic safety, and provide a cost effective |
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1 | solution to growing transportation needs; therefore, be it
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2 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
3 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
4 | we express our support for the Illiana Expressway project and | ||||||
5 | urge the members of the General Assembly to take the necessary | ||||||
6 | steps to ensure that the expressway is successfully completed; | ||||||
7 | and be it further
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8 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
9 | delivered to Secretary of the Illinois Department of | ||||||
10 | Transportation, the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, the | ||||||
11 | policy board for the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, | ||||||
12 | the Metropolitan Planning Council, the chairpersons of the | ||||||
13 | DuPage, Kane, Kendall, and Lake County Boards, and the Will | ||||||
14 | County Executive.
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