Route 53/I-355 Tollway Extension, Illinois
The 25-mile, $1 billion extension of Route 53 in Lake County would destroy 69 wetlands-several of which provide habitat for endangered species-and pollute 7,000 acres of water resources and more than 5,700 acres of natural and recreational land. An Illinois Department of Transportation study found that traffic would swell by more than 75 percent on five major highways in the area due to newly attracted drivers.