Why was a protected corridor recorded before a formal needs study was performed?
Corridor protection is a common planning tool used in Northeastern Illinois and throughout the country. Much like many communities have some form of a future transportation corridor included in their Community Master Plan; the corridor protection does the same for a regional plan. Such a designation doesn’t necessarily indicate a current need for an improvement, but the corridor protection process is used to preserve a possible location for a transportation investment when and if that investment is needed. The current preliminary engineering study will evaluate the ability for the region’s transportation systems to handle the future travel demands and identify if improvements may be needed. The preliminary engineering study is not bound by the results of the previous corridor protection study.
