Ready or not, Illiana Expressway is coming

The two states do not know where the money will come from, but motivation for the Illiana Expressway dropped from the sky on June 9 when the governors of Illinois and Indiana signed an agreement that will allow the Midwest neighbors to work together to build the link between two major interstates.

“We are partners,” Ill. Gov. Pat Quinn proclaimed at the signing ceremony. “[Indiana] is our ally, and we will work together for the betterment of both of our states and the whole region.”

The Illiana Expressway will connect I-57 in Illinois with I-65 in Indiana, and will span 56 miles. The project will produce 14,000 jobs in Illinois alone. Quinn also inked legislation that will allow the Illinois Department of Transportation to engage in public-private partnerships for the Illiana. Indiana passed a similar bill in March.

Environmental impact studies will begin later this year, and officials hope to break ground on the project in 2015.

Officials said the Illiana Expressway could cost well over $1 billion. However, a recent estimate by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning priced the Illinois portion alone at more than $2.5 billion.