Quinn Says He's A 'Supporter' Of Peotone Airport
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Gov. Pat Quinn on Monday shrugged off charges from U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) that Illinois is stalling on a third airport in Peotone.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's John Cody reports, Quinn says Peotone progress is being made.
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"I'm an airport supporter," Quinn said. "I believe in buying land for the airport. We are buying land. We will continue to buy land. I want to connect it to all the other transportation initiatives in the area, one of which is Illiana."
Illiana is an east-west tollway to connect Interstate 65 in Indiana with Interstate 57 in Illnois.
Quinn also says Illinois is working on a 220 mph rail system south out of O'Hare International Airport to Peotone...then branched in Champaign to St. Louis and Indianapolis.
Last week, Jackson said Quinn was dragging his feet on the new airport, and it was adversely affecting businesses in the southern suburbs. He focused specifically on a Jewel-Osco store in Olympia Fields that is slated to close in the next six weeks, but he said the problem is far wider.
"The governor's delays continue to create a hemorrhaging of jobs in the south suburbs, with Jewel being just the latest company to announce shutdowns and layoffs," Jackson said last week.
The criticism was surprising at the time, given that Jackson endorsed Quinn's election quest 19 months ago and Quinn's continuing support for Jackson, whom he called Thursday a "man of honor."
