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WNIU Radio, DeKalb
Aug. 23, 2012
Prairie
Parkway Funding Is Withdrawn
The federal
government has rescinded its approval of the nearly $1 billion proposed
Prairie Parkway, which would have connected I-80 and I-88 in Kane,
Kendall, and Grundy counties.
The recession is part of an agreement to settle a lawsuit filed by
opponents of the highway project.
The action eliminates federal funding for the 37-mile-long project,
and the Illinois Department of Transportation will now shift federal funds
previously allocated to the Prairie Parkway to improvements to Illinois 47
and US 34.
“After an 11-year fight, we have finally scuttled this highway,” said Jan
Strasma, chairman of Citizens Against the Sprawlway, “which would have
destroyed thousands of acres of prime farmland, threatened the Fox River
and its tributaries, and forever changed the area’s small-community way of
life.”
Members of the grassroots organization, which has opposed the highway
since its approval four years ago, had scheduled its annual “Stop the
Beltway” Picnic for Sunday afternoon. That picnic, Strasma said, will now
become a celebration.
Environmental groups sued the highway administration, claiming the project
review was inadequate.
Environmental Law & Policy Center Executive Director Howard Learner
says that is ``a better and affordable transportation solution'' in the
area.