State Representative Mark Batinick
For Immediate Release
January 22, 2018
Contact: Debbie Kraulidis
(815) 254-0000
Batinick expresses support for immediate start to I-55 managed lane project
PLAINFIELD – State Representative Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) wrote to Governor Bruce Rauner urging him and the Illinois Tollway and Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to immediately begin moving forward with the proposed managed lane project on Interstate 55.
“It is my understanding that the authority exists for the Tollway to proceed with this project without waiting for legislative approval,” Batinick wrote in his letter. “I therefore strongly encourage the Tollway to do so immediately so that construction of this needed project can begin this summer.”
The I-55 managed lane project is a proposal to relieve congestion on I-55 between I-355 and the Dan Ryan Expressway. It would add one managed lane in each direction, using the existing median of the highway. Options include tolled or untolled carpool lanes or express tolling lanes.
House Republican Leader Jim Durkin introduced a joint resolution early last year in the Illinois House authorizing the Illinois Department of Transportation to commence a procurement process through a public-private partnership, but the resolution did not get a committee hearing or a vote. Batinick is requesting that the Governor, IDOT and the Tollway proceed with initiating the partnership process without waiting for legislative authorization.
“As the traffic on this section of highway continues to increase, the need for this project will only become more critical, “Batinick wrote.
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Mark Batinick
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