It did so even though the ramps were not constructed on land taken from the defendant, reasoning that the Tollway was constructed on the defendant's land and that the construction of the interchange ramps were part of the overall public improvement known as the North-South Toll Road project. 196 Ill. App.3d at 14. The defendants assert that the case at bar is distinguishable from Heritage and that Heritage should not be read so broadly as to cover the instant facts. For this position, the defendants rely on Illinois State Toll Highway Authority v. Itasca Bank Trust Co. (1991), 216 Ill. App.3d 926. In Itasca Bank, the Authority acquired certain property near the intersection of Army Trail Road and the tollway.
Given the language of section 7-120, I see no error in excluding evidence concerning benefits to the landowner from a highway so removed. See Illinois State Toll Highway Authority v. Itasca Bank Trust Co. (1991), 216 Ill. App.3d 926 (finding that evidence of special benefits of a highway project should have been excluded where no part of landowner's property was taken for the highway, but instead the property was taken for "off alignment improvements" deemed necessary for the project). As additional support for finding error in the exclusion of evidence concerning special benefits from the highway, the majority also relies on section 7-119.