Alternative Fuel Corridor Signs Going Up on Interstate 55

SCHAUMBURG, IL — If you see shiny new signs along the highway, it's a good sign if you're driving an electric vehicle. Fifty Alternative Fuel Corridor signs are being put up along highways. The move is part of a national effort to promote alternative fuels and a statewide move to increase the number of electric vehicles in Illinois.

The Illinois Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that more than 30 Alternative Fuels Corridor signs have been posted on interstates statewide, with another 20 going up this summer. The signs, according to a news release, further Gov. JB Pritzker’s goal of expanding the adoption of electric vehicles.

In District 8, a sign has been put up in the northbound lane of Interstate 55 at Interstate 70 and 270. District 8 includes parts of Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg.

“At IDOT, we take great pride in working with our federal partners to benefit Illinois communities at the local level,” Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman said in the news release. “These signs not only further our mission under Gov. Pritzker to clean transportation options, but provide an economic boost to cities and towns that rely on interstate travel.”

The Federal Highway Administration has designated 145,000 miles of interstate for promoting alternative fuels, including along Interstates 39, 55, 70, 74, 80, 90 and 94 in Illinois, according to the news release. The signs are posted or will be installed, alerting drivers that they are traveling in areas with opportunities to refuel.

In conjunction with IDOT’s blue sign program, additional signs will be installed later approaching exit ramps, providing directional information to specific stations that offer alternative fuels. In Illinois, the first signs will focus on electric charging stations, but additional ones in the future will point out locations for compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, hydrogen and propane fueling stations.

Pritzker is targeting 100 percent renewable energy in the state before 2050, with a goal of putting 1 million electric vehicles on the roads in Illinois by 2030, according to the news release.

More information on federal alternative fuel corridors can be found here.