$40M settles Joliet Road closure dispute :: The SouthtownStar :: News
SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIREA company that produces construction materials will pay $40 million to the Illinois Department of Transportation after a 12-year legal dispute about a section of Joliet Road in McCook.
Vulcan Materials Co. does not admit liability in the settlement, which was reached after three weeks of negotiation, IDOT said Tuesday.
The one-mile stretch of Joliet Road from 55th Street to East Avenue was closed in May 1998 because the road was substantially damaged and unsafe for vehicular traffic. The one-mile stretch runs through the middle of two Vulcan open pit quarry mines, one to the north and one to the south.
IDOT experts concluded the roadway was destabilized from years of mining by Vulcan and any attempts to repair and reopen Joliet Road would require frequent and expensive maintenance, including lane closures, IDOT said. Vulcan at the time would not agree to state-requested mining setbacks and land contributions necessary to implement repair options.
The lawsuit was filed by the state in 2001. Vulcan has ceased mining activities in the two quarries and has announced plans to fill and develop the north quarry.
