CHICAGO (AP) -
Illinois environmental groups have filed a lawsuit over the proposed Illiana
Tollway. They claim federal approval relied on faulty information and didn’t
adequately consider environmental impacts.
The complaint was
filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago on behalf of Openlands, the
Midewin Heritage Association and the Sierra Club.
It claims the U.S.
Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration and Illinois
and Indiana officials relied on inflated population, job and traffic
forecasts to justify the $1.5 billion, 47-mile link between northern
Illinois and Indiana.
It also says
reviewers failed to adequately consider potential harm to the Midewin
National Tallgrass Prairie.
Critics say the
public-private partnership will leave taxpayers on the hook if toll revenue
falls short.
Illinois and
Indiana have suspended work on the project pending a cost-benefit review.