Construction of the proposed Illiana Expressway got a positive shot in the arm Friday. The Transportation Committee of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency (CMAP) for Planning offered a recommended first step for the project..

The 47-mile expressway, which would connect Interstate 55 at Wilmington to Interstate 65 near Cedar Lake, Ind., still needs approval by the region's Metropolitan Planning Board next week and the full CMAP board on Oct. 17.

Kankakee County Board Chairman Mike Bossert said Friday's meeting was "a key first step." He said he's pleased with the outcome.

Mike Van Mill, Kankakee County planner and executive director of the Economic Alliance of Kankakee County, also attended the meeting. Van Mill tells the Daily-Journal "I didn't know what to expect going into the meeting. Let's just say I was pleasantly surprised," he said.

A significant portion of the $1.3 billion project would run through southern Will County, about two miles north of the Kankakee County line.

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