Illinois quick hits: Chicago expressway projects ends; Spooky graveyards

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

Chicago expressway projects ends

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the end of Chicago’s Kennedy Expressway rehabilitation project on Friday.

Illinois Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi noted that the project started in 2023 and was completed one month early.

The rehab work used $169 million from taxpayers through the Rebuild Illinois capital program.

The project caused major congestion and resulted in much longer travel times for commuters.

Cannabis-impaired driving reports

New research from Wright State University and the American College of Surgeons indicates that 41.9% of drivers who died in crashes across the country tested positive for THC, but Illinois numbers are less clear.

Illinois State Police enforcement data showed a 68% surge in cannabis-involved crashes from fiscal year 2022 to 2023.

The Texas Law Dog said Illinois stopped the comprehensive reporting of cannabis-specific crash data after THC surpassed alcohol in fatal crashes during 2020.

Spooky graveyards

As Halloween approaches, life insurance company Choice Mutual has reported the results of a survey to find the scariest graveyards in Illinois.

Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago topped the list, followed by Bachelor’s Grove in Midlothian and Springdale Cemetery in Peoria.

The survey named Sleepy Hollow in New York the scariest graveyard in the country.