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CTA Red Line Extension: Full Speed Ahead as CTA Begins Condemning Private Property for the Project

June 30, 2023

The extension of the Red Line through Chicago’s South Side has been talked about since the late 1960s.  The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) formally announced the Red Line Extension project…

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Illinois Road Projects Along Route 31 and Route 47 in McHenry County

March 28, 2022

The Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) is busy appraising property and making initial written offers of just compensation to owners on two large road projects in McHenry County: –Illinois Route…

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U.S. Capitol Building

President Biden Signs Historic Public Infrastructure Bill

December 13, 2021

On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed into law the $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), one of the largest infrastructure packages in decades.  The IIJA is projected…

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IDOT Road Project Impacting Private Property Owners

IDOT Road Project Impacting Private Property Owners Along IL-47 from Yorkville to Sugar Grove

February 26, 2021

The Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) has begun its land acquisition process in Kendall and Kane Counties for the improvement of IL Route 47 from Yorkville to Sugar Grove. IDOT appraisers…

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Do Illinois Condemnors Have A Right To Enter Private Property Prior To An Eminent Domain Lawsuit?

October 22, 2020

Certain Illinois Statutes Provide A Precondemnation Right To Enter Private Property Many times a government body or public utility armed with the power of eminent domain may seek to investigate…

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7th Circuit Rules Construction of the Obama Presidential Center Is Not A Taking Under The Fifth Amendment

September 14, 2020

On August 21, 2020 the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals issued its decision in Protect Our Parks, Inc. v Chicago Park District, 2020 WL 4915631, affirming a grant of summary…

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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Can the State of Illinois Take Private Property Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic?

April 6, 2020

In the past month, the State of Illinois and local governments, like the City of Chicago, have issued executive orders in an attempt to slow the spread of the COVID-19…

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IDOT Route 47 Project in Woodstock, IL

Woodstock, IL Eminent Domain Update: Route 47

February 7, 2020

More details from Governor J.B. Pritzker’s multibillion-dollar statewide transportation plan are emerging. Our team of eminent domain lawyers are closely monitoring all of IDOT’s proposed projects. We are here to…

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Lake County & DuPage County Eminent Domain Updates

October 31, 2019

After the announcement of IDOT’s plan to rebuild Illinois Roads and Bridges, new details are emerging about specific projects within the $45 billion multi-year plan. According to the plan announced…

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Traffic Road Barricades

Gov. Pritzker, IDOT Announce Rebuild Illinois Road and Bridge Projects

October 23, 2019

Governor Jay “J.B.” Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) released IDOT’s Fiscal Year 2020-2025 Multi-Year Plan of road and bridge projects across the state, which is the first…

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BNSF Railway Company vs. Grohne

September 12, 2019

Change in the date of valuation in an eminent domain case allowed where there was a 25% increase in the market value of the condemned property between the date the…

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IDOT I-80 Bridge Project

August 12, 2019

IDOT’s $848 million I-80 bridge replacement project has been described as a signature project in Gov. JB Pritzker’s statewide capital bill. This IDOT project is expected to include the acquisition…

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IDOT Route 47 Project – Woodstock, IL

August 9, 2019

IDOT plans to widen Route 47 from Route 14 to Route 120 in Woodstock, Illinois to allow for two lanes of traffic in each direction separated by a raised curb…

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U.S. Supreme Court Rules Private Property Owners Can Proceed Directly To Federal Court To Allege A State or Local Government Has Taken Their Property In Violation Of The Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause

June 25, 2019

By Michael W. Ryan on June 25, 2019 Knick v. Township of Scott On June 21, 2019, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Knick v. Township of Scott that…

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Hinsdale Illinois Tollway I-294 Project

May 21, 2019

Ryan and Ryan can assist property owners in the crosshairs of eminent domain for the Illinois Tollway’s I-294 project.  Some homeowners in Hinsdale will be forced to sell a portion…

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An Eminent Domain Lease Provision Controls Issue of Apportionment of Just Compensation Award Between A Landlord and Tenant

May 17, 2019

By Lauren Ryan on May 9, 2019 Eminent Domain Case: Department of Transportation v. 600 West Dundee, LLC A new Illinois appellate decision was issued from the Fist District on…

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Hinsdale’s Plan for Widening the Central Tri-State Tollway Falls Short

January 3, 2018

The village of Hinsdale submitted its own design to widen Interstate 294, developing an alternate plan for the stretch of tollway between Ogden Avenue and 55th Street. However, Illinois Tollway…

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How Can Landowners Receive Just Compensation for Property Taking Without a Trial by Jury?

December 29, 2017

Under current federal statute (the Tucker Act), Americans who have property worth more than $10,000 taken by the federal government cannot get a jury trial on the value of the…

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Jarreau v. South Lafourche Levee District petition denied

November 7, 2017

On October 30, 2017, the United States Supreme Court denied a property owner’s petition for a writ of certiorari in Jarreau v. S. Lafourche Levee District, No. 17-163,  which involved the…

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Illinois Supreme Court rules against Rock Island Clean Line

October 3, 2017

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled on September, 21, 2017 that Rock Island Clean Line does not qualify as a public utility and found the Illinois Commerce Commission lacked legal authority…

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Federal Transportation Board rejects Great Lakes Basin rail line

August 30, 2017

Great Lakes Basin Transportation, Inc. (GLBT) filed an application pursuant to 49 U.S. C. § 10901 on May 1, 2017 seeking authority from the Surface Transportation Board (Board) to construct…

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Supreme Court Rules Against Private Property Owner

August 10, 2017

On June 23, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a private property owner regarding the proper test for what constitutes the whole property for purposes of a regulatory taking…

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Expansion Project for Illinois Highway gets Federal Approval

July 28, 2017

The Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT) plan to expand and rebuild the Eisenhower Expressway (Interstate 290) received federal approval on July 28, 2017. The plan calls for widening the highway…

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Kane County Forest Preserve District Referendum Tallies Election Win

June 6, 2017

Kane County voters approved $50 million referendum for land acquisition and capital improvements. Eighty percent of the money from the referendum is intended for the acquisition of about 2,000 acres…

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Illinois Tollway Board Committee Allocates $25 Million to Study Expansion of Route 53

June 5, 2017

Route 53 has long been discussed about a potential expansion to alleviate traffic congestion with a price tag of almost $2.6 billion. The Customer Service and Planning Committee has officially…

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Illinois Tollway Moving Forward with $4 Billion Proposed I-294 Widening

April 25, 2017

The Illinois Tollway is proposing the expansion of I-294 between Balmoral Avenue and 95th Street. The goal of the project is to eliminate congestion on the tollway used by hundreds…

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I-294 Widening Project

February 12, 2017

The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority has begun planning the possible expansion of Interstate 294 between O’Hare International Airport and 95th street to make the expressway five lanes in each…

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Kane County Roadway Project

December 30, 2016

The Kane County Department of Transportation (KDOT) seeks to continue momentum for a 5.6 mile-long roadway project known as the Longmeadow Parkway Fox River Bridge Corridor. The proposed construction directly…

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CTA Red Line Extension Proposal

December 14, 2016

The CTA’s Red Line extension proposal could push multiple homeowners on the South Side to relocate. Establishing a route through multiple sections of Chicago’s Roseland neighborhood may create more convenient…

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Clean Energy Partners Pursues Construction

December 10, 2016

Clean Line Energy Partners, a merchant transmission developer, continues to pursue the construction of a high voltage direct current transmission line known as the Rock Island Clean Line (RICL). The…

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Will County Judge Ruled on IDOT Land Acquisition

June 12, 2015

A Will County Judge ruled that IDOT can acquire land owned by Ryan & Ryan clients despite lack of approval by the FAA. See the full article here.

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U.S. District Court Judge in Chicago Ruled on the proposed Illiana Tollway

June 8, 2015

A U.S. District Court judge in Chicago ruled Tuesday that the federal government’s approval of the proposed Illiana Tollway linking northern Illinois and Indiana is invalid. See the full article…

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Burbank Residents Could Lose Homes in Effort to Relieve Flooding

May 13, 2015

Homeowners in south suburban Burbank are worried they could lose their homes after getting letters in the mail saying they may be forced to sell in an effort to fix…

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William E. Ryan, Michael W. Ryan, and Lauren E. Ryan to Speak at National Eminent Domain Seminar

January 30, 2015

Chicago-area condemnation attorneys, William E. Ryan, Michael W. Ryan and Lauren E. Ryan will speak at the 32nd Annual Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation course February 5, 2015 in…

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Six Owners’ Counsel of America Attorneys Named 2014 “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers in America

February 26, 2014

Among those six named was William E. Ryan. See the full article here.

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