Citizens for Appropriate Transportation (CAT)
The Eisenhower Transportation Corridor

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT

We need a commitment from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed widening of the Eisenhower Expressway. Currently, IDOT is committed only to an Environmental Assessment, which does not offer the same protection as an Environmental Impact Statement.

The National Environmental Policy Act requires an agency proposing a major project to prepare a detailed Environmental Impact Statement. By contrast, an Environmental Assessment does not contain either the same level of detail or public involvement that an EIS does. An Environmental Impact Statement has four requirements that help us.

1. EXPLAIN THE PURPOSE AND NEED OF THE PROJECT

An Environmental Impact Statement requires a formal explanation of the underlying purpose and need that IDOT is responding to by planning to add two High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes. HOV lanes are also known as car pool lanes. The Purpose and Need Statement should clearly explain to decision-makers and the public why the estimated $800 million dollar expenditure of funds for two High-Occupancy Vehicle lanes is necessary and worthwhile. The Purpose and Need statement should compare present conditions with future build and no-build conditions. The Purpose and Need statement provides a basis to evaluate alternative solutions in order to determine if HOV lanes are really the best solution.

2. IDENTIFY ALL REASONABLE ALTERNATIVES

An Environmental Impact Statement requires IDOT to analyze all prudent and feasible alternatives to achieve the purpose and need of the project. Federal regulations require that an EIS "rigorously explore and objectively evaluate all reasonable alternatives" including the No-Action (No-Build) Alternative. The intent is to avoid or minimize adverse effects on the quality of the human environment. Exploring just the addition of HOV lanes is not enough. IDOT should consider the full spectrum of alternatives. Some other alternatives that should be analyzed include extending the CTA Blue Line further west, improving service on Metra's Union Pacific West Line to Geneva and the Burlington Northern Line to Aurora, and digging deeper in the ditch so that the Ike is further down. If IDOT must rebuild the Ike, then they should consider ways to better connect the neighborhoods on both sides of the expressway. More and better designed bridges, and much wider bridges to provide a better environment for pedestrians and bicyclists are all design features that should be considered.

3. ANALYZE ALL ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES

An Environmental Impact Statement requires a hard look at the environmental consequences. On an average weekday, the Ike carries about 200,000 vehicles a day. The projected traffic in the Year 2020 is about 270,000 vehicles a day, a 35 percent increase. Some obvious environmental impacts include air and noise pollution, traffic, impact on property values, property acquisition, vibration from the freight trains, community cohesion, and environmental justice. Vibration is not normally analyzed in a highway project, but it should be studied in this case because of the rail freight tracks in the Ike Corridor. Environmental Justice is a public policy goal intended to ensure that any adverse human health or environmental effects of government projects, such as the proposed expansion of the Eisenhower Expressway, do not fall on minority or low-income populations in a disproportionate manner.

4. ENCOURAGE AND FACILITATE PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT

An Environmental Impact Statement requires IDOT to provide information to the public, which may in turn assist IDOT in making better decisions through the public comment process. If IDOT prepares an Environmental Impact Statement, they must prepare both a Draft and a Final EIS and both must be made available to the public. The public must have the opportunity to comment on the Draft EIS, and IDOT must respond in writing in the Final EIS to all comments. Then the Federal Highway Administration has the ultimate responsibility to ensure compliance with all requirements.

CONCLUSION

The proposed HOV lanes are one of the regionally significant projects in the Regional Transportation Plan for the Year 2020. Asking for a full EIS is a reasonable expectation. We have included the names, addresses, and telephone numbers for our elected federal and state representatives and ask that you contact them to request their help in getting IDOT committed to the preparation of an EIS. They do not have to take a position for or against the HOV lanes. We are asking them to be committed to providing all of us with the information normally contained in an EIS.

Rick Kuner - June 2002

CAT Home | Previous Issue Brief | Next Issue Brief | Issue Brief Index