News
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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.
