Dive Brief:
The board of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning voted against an Illinois-Indiana plan for a 47-mile toll road between Interstate 55 with Interstates 57 and 65.
The two states' departments of transportation propose a public-private partnership for the project, estimated to cost $1.3 billion.
The states argue that the Illiana Corridor project will take trucks off local roads and generate jobs along the route, but the planning agency says Illiana conflicts with its long-range plans.
Dive Insight:
The 10-4 vote by the agency board seems to reflect a political fight between Gov. Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanual. An agency planning board also will vote on the project, for which Illinois and Indiana transportation officials are near sending out requests for qualifications from potential private-sector partners.
