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I-355 Southern Tollway ExtensionEstimated Total Cost: $750 million
Like many other local, state and federal officials, I support the I-355 Southern Tollway Extension – an important project that extends the highway 12.5 miles south from I-55 in Bolingbrook to I-80 in New Lenox. This north-south extension would provide a critical transportation link between DuPage County, the second most populous county in the State of Illinois, and Will County, the fastest growing county in the state.
We’ve known for quite some time of the need for the I-355 southern extension, which has been on the drawing board in one form or another since the sixties. In fact, I voted for the original legislation that authorized the Tollway to expand its current system, when I was a member of the Illinois Statehouse in the early ‘90’s. The General Assembly authorized the Tollway to expand because they saw then the explosive growth of the Western and Southwestern suburbs.
Over the last decade, the population of Will County has grown more than 40 percent, according to the latest Census Bureau statistics. Since 1972, the County’s population has doubled, and is expected to double again by 2020 -- meaning more wear and tear for local roads already suffering from years of abuse.
Extending I-355 is the only logical solution to what is becoming a transportation crisis. In most cases, it would cut travel times in half. In every case, it would increase driver safety and decrease local congestion. A straightforward solution already exists – so why try risky and disruptive alternatives that don’t make sense?
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