State road chief says bipartisan push needed for wider I-55.(News)

Byline: Robert Sanchez Daily Herald Staff Writer Illinois' top-ranking transportation official says the only way a long-desired widening of I-55 could start by next fall is if state lawmakers work together to raise the necessary funds. "Assuming bipartisan efforts and bipartisan support, this can easily get done," Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Tim Martin said Wednesday. "But if things get goofy, it's a new ballgame." Speaking to reporters after a luncheon in Joliet, Martin called I-55 south of Weber Road "the poster child" for ...