SOUTH SUBURBAN OFFICIALS COME TOGETHER TO GARNER SUPPORT FOR A NEW AIRPORT IN THE REGION

Elected officials from Chicago’s Greater Southland Region have been consistently collaborating to encourage Governor J.B. Pritzker to include funding for the completion of a south suburban airport in next year’s capital bill.
Elected officials from Chicago’s Greater Southland Region have been consistently collaborating to encourage Governor J.B. Pritzker to include funding for the completion of a south suburban airport in next year’s capital bill.

SOUTH SUBURBAN OFFICIALS COME TOGETHER TO GARNER SUPPORT FOR A NEW AIRPORT IN THE REGION

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

Across the South Suburbs, elected offices are coordinating efforts to encourage Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to designate $150 million of the 2020 capital bill for investment in Chicago’s Southland. The money will be necessary for completing the proposed south suburban airport and will support a new interchange on Interstate 57, local road upgrades, and connectivity to utilities that will accommodate the new airport.

Illinois Congresswoman Robin Kelly along with Illinois Speaker of the House Mike Madigan recently submitted a letter that outlined the infrastructure needs in the area and again asked for Governor Pritzker to consider including an investment in the South Suburbs in next year’s capital bill.

The letter was signed by three members of Congress, 14 state legislators, 29 mayors, four Chicago aldermen, two Cook County commissioners, and two mayors-elect. Together, the group represents elected leadership from Cook, Will, and Kankakee counties. “I’m in full support of the proposed third airport for southern Cook and Will County.

We have witnessed an increase in logistical manufacturing companies who now call Southern Cook County their home. It is only fitting that a cargo airport be constructed to give these companies the added boost needed to enhance their operations,” said Sheila Chalmers-Currin, president of the Village of Matteson. “I truly believe Governor Pritzker understands this need and will do what’s necessary to ensure that the proposed airport becomes a reality.”

The vision for the South Suburban Airport is to create an airfield that will serve the greater Chicagoland area and be located just south of the City of Chicago in the Village of Peotone. The South Suburban Airport will offer travelers and businesses expanded options for air and freight travel to the midwest, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

“This has been a fight for probably over 35 years, many of which I’ve been involved [in] as a citizen as an elected official. We have always felt that the third airport would be an economic development tool for the south suburbs and it’s certainly something that we really need,” said State Representative Debbie Meyers-Martin.

In 2017, the governor of Illinois at the time, Bruce Rauner, issued a Request for Information from the Illinois Department of Transportation. Up until now, Gov. Rauner’s request was the last major move on this project in a long saga of advocating for an airport in the Southland.

Representative Meyers-Martin said that she recently attended a meeting with Governor Pritzker to discuss the proposed airport and said that he understands the airport is a major issue for south suburban legislators and knows that many people are interested in seeing the project completed.

“The Southland legislators have been meeting cohesively to push for this project to be part of the capital bill that we are scheduled to vote on this year. We met with the governor to express our support for the third airport and the fact that we really felt that this was something that needed to be funded through the capital bill,” said Meyers-Martin.

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