Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about State Policy

Rauner’s Latest Weird Illiana Move: Pushing for Tax Breaks to Contractors

By Steven Vance | Jul 29, 2015 | 2 Comments

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner has taken action to kill the wasteful, destructive Illiana Tollway, which his predecessor Pat Quinn championed. Lately, however, Rauner has made some odd steps that suggest he may be interested in keeping the project on life support. In June, the governor ordered the Illinois Department of Transportation to remove the tollway from its multiyear […]

Eyes on the Street: Clybourn Curb-Protected Bike Lanes Are Halfway Done

By Steven Vance | Jul 28, 2015 | 11 Comments

Note: Keating Law Offices, P.C. has generously agreed to sponsor two Streetsblog Chicago posts about bicycle safety topics per month. The firm’s support will help make Streetsblog Chicago a sustainable project. Keating Law Offices is not involved in the Bobby Cann case. Just over a month ago, the Illinois Department of Transportation started constructing curb-protected bike […]

More Ideas for Improving Rail Service at O’Hare Right Now

By Steven Vance | Jul 9, 2015 | 10 Comments

Last week’s Streetblog Chicago post about Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s O’Hare express train proposal struck a chord with readers, with dozens of retweets and almost 100 comments. Lots of people agreed that the existing CTA Blue Line run between the Loop and “the world’s busiest airport” is already a relatively fast, high-quality service. Many readers also concurred that […]

Don’t Worry, Clybourn Merchants — The PBL Parking Issue Is Covered

By John Greenfield | Jun 24, 2015 | 17 Comments

In an article posted on DNAinfo yesterday, business owners along Clybourn Avenue in Old Town said they were worried that parking conversions for upcoming curb-protected bike lanes on the street might scare off customers. However, the Illinois Department of Transportation, which is spearheading the project, and the Chicago DOT, which is consulting, have crunched the […]

Getting Closer to the End: Judge Nullifies Federal Approval of Illiana Tollway

By Steven Vance | Jun 17, 2015 | 3 Comments

It’s looking like the nightmarish vision of a totally unnecessary, 47-mile highway cutting through prime Illinois farmland is not going to become a reality. A federal judge ruled yesterday that the Illinois Department of Transportation failed to provide a proper Environmental Impact Statement for the Illiana Tollway. U.S. District Court Judge Jorge Alonso wrote that the […]

Rauner Takes a Second, Hopefully Final, Step to Kill the Illiana

By Steven Vance | Jun 3, 2015 | 14 Comments

Yesterday, Governor Bruce Rauner drove a second stake into the heart of the Illiana Tollway, a sprawl-inducing highway proposed for rural Illinois and Indiana, just south of metropolitan Chicago. Rauner’s office issued a press release slamming a new state budget passed by Democratic leaders as fiscally irresponsible. In response to the budget, the Republican governor announced he will […]

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