I worked for many years on this road. It became a second interstate quality road around the Chicago metropolitan area. It was originally planned to continue east to bypass Gary and Northwest Indiana. Unfortunately it did not go forward, and now another beltway will likely be much further south.
Interesting story about the Interchange above. It connects I-355 and I-55 and provides for very dynamic land development.
Before I-355 was constructed access to the area was poor and there was little development. The acquisition of the land and anticipated tollway construction substantially enhanced development potential. The new road provided great access to rapidly growing Dupage County.
I was the expert witness for the Tollway Authority. They were acquiring about 30 acres from the Santa Fe Railroad who owned the tract. The attorneys wanted substantial damages for the acquisition with a total demand for over 7 million dollars. The Tollway offered 2 million dollars. So the difference between the offer and the demand was 5 million. The owners attorney stood to get 40% of the amount over 2 million so they were very motivated.
The attorney was reputed to be the best land acquisition attorney in Chicago. I stood between him and a 2 million dollar payday. He was very good and after a few hours I wanted to deck him, but of course that is bad for,
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