Logan and McLean counties have several projects in Gov. Quinn's 6-year, $12.62B transportation construction program

Plan will improve 2,142 miles of highway, replace or rehabilitate 517 bridges, and make major investments in public transit

[April 20, 2013]  SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Pat Quinn was joined by Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann L. Schneider on Wednesday to unveil a six-year, $12.62 billion construction program that will improve roads and bridges throughout Illinois while making major investments in public transportation. The projects, including several in Logan and McLean counties, are part of the governor's agenda to create jobs and drive the Illinois economy forward while updating the state's transportation system. The upcoming highway, public transit, rail and airport projects will address critical infrastructure needs while making major transportation improvements throughout the state.

"Illinois is the transportation hub of the nation, and this program will ensure we have the modern infrastructure needed to compete with the world," Quinn said. "This major investment in roads, bridges and public transportation will drive economic growth in every part of Illinois and create tens of thousands of jobs."

The fiscal 2014-2019 highway program will improve 2,142 miles of highway and replace or rehabilitate 517 bridges across Illinois. The plan includes $475 million to reconstruct the Circle Interchange in Chicago; $56 million to repair and upgrade Interstate 74 in eastern Illinois; $83 million to resurface and replace bridges on I-57 in Marion, Pulaski, Union, Johnson and Williamson counties; $76.2 million for a new Mississippi River bridge in Moline, in cooperation with the state of Iowa; and $40.4 million to resurface and repair bridges along Interstate 55 in Logan County.

"These projects will make our entire transportation system safer, easier, more efficient and ready to accommodate our current and future needs," Schneider said. "But they come with another benefit -- the fact that we will employ thousands of Illinois men and women and support numerous Illinois businesses while construction is underway."

For fiscal 2014, the program has allocated $2.24 billion for road projects, $128 million for public transportation, $224 million for rail and $68 million for airport improvements. The total allocations for the multiyear program are $9.53 billion for roads, $1.81 billion for public transportation, $1.121 billion for rail and $159 million for airports.

The plan includes $7.2 billion in anticipated federal funds, $1.9 billion in state funds and the remainder from local and other sources. Additional bond authorization will be required to continue funding these transportation projects. The $580 million remaining for road and bridge projects from Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now capital construction program is also included in this multiyear program.

Projects that are part of the fiscal 2014-2019 program will begin after July 1 this year. Last month Quinn and Schneider announced that the $486 million in road and bridge projects to begin this spring is one of the largest early season construction programs in the state's history.

Many of the projects announced this week are funded through legislation Quinn championed in his State of the State address earlier this year. On those projects, IDOT is offering contractors a reimbursement rate of $10 an hour for hiring graduates of the Highway Construction Careers Training Program, an IDOT-sponsored initiative to encourage women and minorities to pursue careers in the transportation construction industry.

The multiyear transportation program builds upon the success of Quinn's $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now program, which is supporting more than 439,000 jobs over six years. It is the largest capital construction program in Illinois history and one of the largest capital construction programs in the nation. Prior to its passage by the Illinois General Assembly in 2009, Illinois had gone nearly a decade without a major program to address its critical infrastructure needs.

More information on the construction program is available at http://www.dot.il.gov/opp/hip1419/
hwyimprov.htm.

Projects of interest in Logan and McLean counties include:

• Rubblization and resurfacing of 3.4 miles and resurfacing 6.1 miles on Interstate 39 and U.S. 51, from Interstate 55 to the Woodford County line in McLean County, are programmed during fiscal 2014-2019 at a cost of $19.2 million. Of this total, 3.4 miles of rubblization and resurfacing on the southbound lanes from Interstate 55 to Township Road 157A, are programmed in fiscal 2014 at a cost of $6.1 million.

• Resurfacing on 1.8 miles, safety improvements and bridge deck repairs on Interstate 55 Business (Veterans Parkway), from west of Fox Creek Road to 0.2 mile east of Bunn Street in Bloomington, are programmed during fiscal 2015-2019 at a cost of $3.5 million.

• Engineering for location, environmental and design studies on Interstate 55 Business (Veterans Parkway) at Illinois 9 in Bloomington is programmed during fiscal 2015-2019 at a cost of $2.5 million.

• Bridge replacements and 0.7 mile of vertical realignment on Interstate 74 and U.S. 51 at the Interstate 55 Business Loop over Interstate 74, southwest of Bloomington in McLean County, are programmed in fiscal 2014 at a cost of $13.1 million.

• Resurfacing 3 miles on U.S. 51 and U.S. 51 Business, from Woodrig Road in Bloomington to Country Acres Road in McLean County, is programmed during fiscal 2015-2019 at a cost of $2.8 million.

• Bridge replacement and utility adjustments on U.S. 51 Business and Main Street at Sugar Creek, 0.8 mile north of Illinois 9 in Normal, are programmed during fiscal 2015-2019 at a cost of $1.4 million.

• Resurfacing and cold milling for 1.6 miles on Illinois 9, from Royal Pointe Drive to east of Towanda-Barnes Road in Bloomington, are programmed during fiscal 2015-2019 at a cost of $2 million.

• Resurfacing and safety improvements for 10.5 miles on Illinois 9, from Arrowsmith Road to the Ford County line, are programmed during fiscal 2015-2019 at a cost of $5.6 million.

• Culvert replacements on Old U.S. 51, from 0.4 mile south of U.S. 136 to 3 miles north of Heyworth in McLean County, are programmed during fiscal 2015-2019 at a cost of $1.6 million.

• Resurfacing 16.1 miles, patching, bridge deck repairs, bridge superstructure, new bridge decks, bridge joint repairs, waterproofing and bridge deck overlay, on Interstate 55 from 0.6 mile north of Illinois Route 10 to the McLean County line and on Interstate 155 from Interstate 55 to 0.9 mile north in Logan County, are programmed during fiscal 2014-2019 at a cost of $40.4 million. Of this total, bridge work from Interstate 55 Business north of Lincoln to County Highway 6 in Atlanta is programmed in fiscal 2014 at a cost of $13.4 million.

• A new bridge, bridge replacement, 1 mile of vertical realignment and bridge approach roadway on Interstate 55 Business over Salt Creek, 0.3 mile southwest of Lincoln, are programmed in fiscal 2014 at a cost of $13 million. This project has been approved for Illinois Major Bridge Program funding.

• Replacement of nine 35-foot diesel buses for the Bloomington-Normal Public Transit System at a cost of $3 million is funded by the state of Illinois.

[Text from file received from the Illinois governor's office]