>>> AN EFFORT TO EASE CONGESTION ON I-55 IS LEADING TO PUSHBACK FROM ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS, A PROPOSED BILL WOULD IT HAD EXPRESS TOLL LANES, BUT CRITICS SAY THAT THE EXPANSION PROJECT WOULD HARM COMMUNITIES ALREADY BURDENED WITH EMISSIONS FROM TRUCKS AND CARS.

JOINING US NOW WITH MORE INFORMATION, THE SENIOR TRANSPORTATION POLICY ANALYST AT THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATION.

CLIMATE POLICY DIRECTOR AT THE ILLINOIS COUNCIL, AND THE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF URBAN PLANNING AND PATHOLOGY AT THE DEPARTMENT OF SHOULD UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO.

>> THE I-55 CORRIDOR IS ALREADY ONE OF THE DIRTIEST CORRIDORS EVOLUTION WISE IN THE COUNTRY, AND A BIG PART OF THAT IS BECAUSE NOT ONLY THE CURRENT VEHICLE TRAFFIC BUT THE SURROUNDING FACILITY THAT ATTRACT THE TRAFFIC.

SO, I-55 IS HEAVILY CONCENTRATED WITH WAREHOUSES, MOTOR RAILYARD FACILITIES, OTHER DISTANT VISION CENTERS, OTHER TIMES, THEY HAVE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TRUCK TRAFFIC.

THIS IS ALREADY AN AREA THAT DEALS WITH POLLUTION AND THIS WOULD ONLY MAKE THAT ISSUE MUCH WORSE.

>> SO TRUE, SO TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THIS PLAN WOULD DO TO ADDRESS THE CONGESTION.

>> SO, FOR MANY DECADES, WE HAD SOMETHING CALLED INDUCED DEMAND, IT SOUNDS TECHNICAL BUT THE IDEA IS STRAIGHTFORWARD, YOU BUILD MORE CAPACITY, YOU ENCOURAGE MORE PEOPLE TO DRIVE.

BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE ARE ENCOURAGED TO DRIVE, YOU END UP BACK WHERE YOU STARTED WITH CONGESTED ROADWAYS.

SO, TECHNICAL MODELS SHOW A LITTLE INCREASE, BUT ALTERNATIVE NEW MODELS SHOW THAT IF WE BUILD THIS, WE WILL SEE MASSIVE INCREASES IN DRIVING AND THAT WILL FURTHER OUR DEPENDENCY AND POLLUTING FACTORS.

>> INTERESTING.

CAN YOU GIVE US CONTEXT AROUND THE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES THAT THE COMMUNITIES ARE FACING?

>> YES.

SO, I WOULD SAY WE HAVE AN OVERSATURATION OF CARS AND VEHICLES IN THE AREA, THEY ARE PRODUCING POLLUTANTS LIKE PARTICLE MATTER, AND SPECIFICALLY WITH THE HEAVY DUTY VEHICLES THAT ARE CONSISTENTLY DRIVING THROUGH THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS AND THROUGH THE I-55 CORRIDOR.

I THINK JOSI CAN TALK AT LENGTH ABOUT THE NUMBER OF TRUCKS THAT THEY SEE EVERY SINGLE DAY.

>> WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM PEOPLE WITH REGARDS TO THEIR EVERYDAY LIVES?

>> TRUCK TRAFFICKING IS A MAJOR ISSUE FOR PEOPLE NOT ONLY IN THE VILLAGE BUT THROUGHOUT THE SOUTHWEST SIDE, AND BECAUSE YOU HAVE SUCH A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF THESE FACILITIES THAT ATTRACT SO MANY TRUCKS ON A DAILY BASIS, THAT LEADS TO MANY DIFFERENT NEGATIVE HEALTH OUTCOMES LIKE ASTHMA, CARDIOVASCULAR ISSUES, PREMATU WHICH I WAS TRYING TO READ UP ON BECAUSE I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON.

>> SO, ONE OF THE CONCERNS IS THAT THERE IS COMPLEMENTARY, WELL I HATE TO CALL THEM COMPLEMENT HER, BUT TWO PIECES OF LEGISLATION RELATED TO THIS, TO AUTHORIZE THIS TO BE A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP AND ONE WOULD REALLY LOOSEN THE OVERSIGHT THEY HAVE ON THAT PUBLIC-PRIVATE OWNERSHIP.

IT WOULD TAKE OUT THE PLANNING AGENCIES FROM THE PROCESS.

AND WHAT WE SEE, WHEN PUBLIC- PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS HAPPEN, SOMETIMES THEY GET A BAD DEAL, AS WITH PARKING METER PRIVATIZATION DEAL, THAT WAS RUSHED THROUGH.

IT HAS BEEN GREAT FOR THE PRIVATE FIRM, THEY MADE A LOT OF REVENUE.

IT HAS BEEN BAD FOR CHICAGO.

>> I'M TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH THAT, BUT I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE DO UNDERSTAND THE METERED PARKING SITUATION AND THEY CAN RELATE BACK TO THIS.

MANY OF THE COMMUNITIES RESIDE ALONG I-55, WHAT IS IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO THINK ABOUT WHEN THESE THINGS HAPPEN?

>> I THINK FOR THEM, IT'S HOW THEY USE THEIR VOICE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE RAISING AWARENESS.

I THINK THE LATINO COMMUNITY IS STARTING TO BECOME VERY VOCAL, WHERE THEY ARE BECOMING THE LARGEST MINORITY IN THE STATE.

AND A LOT OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE YOUNGER, UNDER 18, THEY HAVE A LOT TO SAY AND THEY SHOULD BE SPEAKING UP AND TELLING THEIR LEGISLATURES, THIS IS A BETTER LIVELIHOOD.

THIS IS ABOUT OUR FUTURE RIGHT NOW.

A LOT OF FOLKS ARE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE.

WE ARE SEEING A LOT OF LATINOS COMING TO THE COUNTRY BECAUSE THERE IS CLIMATE CATASTROPHES HAPPENING IN THEIR COUNTRIES.

WHAT DO THEY SEE WHEN THEY COME TO A NEW COUNTRY?

THEY GET ADDITIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS IN THEIR NEW NEIGHBORHOOD.

SO I ENCOURAGE ALL YOUNG LATINOS TO GET OUT THERE AND TALK TO THEIR LEGISLATURES, GO ON THE STREETS AND LET THEM KNOW THIS IS NOT RIGHT AND WE NEED DECISIONS TO BE MADE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

>> JOSI, ARE YOU SEEING ANY OF THESE GRASSROOTS OR PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER TO USE THEIR VOICES?

>> YES, YOU HAVE SEEN ALL OF THE STATE REPRESENTATIVES ALONG THE I-55 CORRIDOR, PARTICULARLY THOSE REPRESENTING THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE CITY, THEY ARE AGAINST THE PROJECT, BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT ORGANIZATIONS LIKE US AND SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS IN CHICAGO HAVE BEEN DOING OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF DECADES.

BUT COLLECTIVELY OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS AND THE ISSUE OF TRUCKING AND THIS OVERSIGHT TO ERASING THE FACILITIES HAS BEEN A MAJOR TALKING POINT THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

PEOPLE ARE THINKING ABOUT, WHEN WE HAVE TOO MANY TRUCKS IN THE CITY, IT IS OVER CONCENTRATED, THIS IS A MAJOR CONCERN FOR ALL OF US.

>> AND WHAT DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE DONE WITH THIS EXPANSION?

WHAT IS YOUR PROPOSAL?

>> WITH THE EXPANSION, IF WE ARE TRYING TO REDUCE CONGESTION, THE ONLY ANSWER IS TO INVEST IN PUBLIC TRANSIT.

THIS MEETING WAS ORIGINALLY CREATED, THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE WAS TO FUNCTION OR SERVE INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC TRANSIT, AND TO PUT A TRAIN DOWN THE MIDDLE.

WE HAVE A DECENT PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM BUT A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH.

ONE OF THE BEST THINGS WE CAN DO IN THE CITY IS INVEST IN PUBLIC BUS TRANSIT, WHICH IS A MAJOR COMPONENT IN THIS GROUP RIGHT HERE.

BUT, I THINK IT REALLY PRESENTS A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE CITY TO NOT ONLY CREATE MORE OPPORTUNITY TO USE PUBLIC TRANSIT TO PUT CHICAGO ON THE MAP AS THE LEADER OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN THE WORLD.

>> YOU ARE NODDING YOUR HEAD A LOT, WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN IT COMES TO PRIORITIZING EQUITY AND SUSTAINABILITY AS WE CREATE NEW INFRASTRUCTURE?

>> I THINK THAT CAN BE A TOP PRIORITY.

THERE IS A FEDERAL PROGRAM CALLED RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES TO UNDO THE HARM THAT HAS BEEN DONE BY BUILDING HIGHWAYS, PREDOMINANTLY THROUGH BLACK AND LATINO COMMUNITIES.

THAT IS A DROP IN THE BUCKET WHEN STATE DEPARTMENTS ARE CONTINUING TO DO HARM THROUGH EXPANDING THE HIGHWAYS.

>> ANY LAST THOUGHTS ON THAT?

>> YES, I THINK THE FUNDING REALLY NEEDS TO BE DIRECTED TO THE PROJECTS THAT ARE GOING TO HELP REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS AND GREENHOUSE GASES.

NOT ONLY DO WE NEED TO INVITE PUBLIC TRANSIT BUT WE SHOULD BE LOOKING TO INVEST IN CLEAN TRUCKS TO MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER TRANSPORTATION IS COMING IN THE FUTURE, THEY ARE CLEANER IN THOSE COMMUNITIES.

SO ONCE AGAIN, I ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO REACH OUT TO THEIR SENATORS AND LEGISLATURES AND