Gov announces $250 million for transportation improvements

Illinois counties, municipalities and townships will receive $250 million for transportation needs Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday, unveiling the third installment of funds as part of the Rebuild Illinois capital program.

Chicago will receive $29.6 million for its infrastructure projects, according to the governor’s office.

“This difficult year has brought a whole lot of challenges, but it’s also underscored the vital importance of smart investments that open stable and steady doors for our working families and that fortify the bonds that tie our neighborhoods together,” Pritzker said. “Rebuild Illinois is exactly the kind of job-creating, community-shaping initiative that makes things happen for our people from construction to completion.”

Pritzker announced the latest installment of capital funds at Baie & Baie Trucking in DeKalb County, where program dollars are being used for the reconstruction of a stretch of Waterman Road.

The governor said investing in other capital projects throughout the state will “help build projects like Watermen Road in every corner of the state of Illinois, spurring more local job creation and economic development all across the state.”

In 2020, the state improved 1,700 miles of highway, over 120 bridges and completed 600 highway projects. In the first half of the current fiscal year, the state has improved 1,300 miles of highway, 65 bridges, awarded 270 new projects and completed “major initiatives” like the Chicago Veterans Home, Pritzker said.

Illinois Secretary of Transportation Omer Osman said the money announced Thursday will be the third of six installments for transportation infrastructure projects.

Those projects, “which will be selected and managed locally with financial oversight” by the state’s department of transportation, “include road and bridge improvements, traffic signal upgrades, new storm sewers and bike paths, sidewalk replacements and other long-term maintenance needs,” according a news release from the governor’s office.