"In a sign that Illinois is overcoming years of dysfunction, we put together a bipartisan-backed Rebuild Illinois plan to build new roads and bridges and ports and airports and to fix existing ones. It's the largest infrastructure investment in Illinois' history. While other Midwestern states struggle to modernize, Illinois is passing them by. Already, our Rebuild Illinois plan has improved over 3,000 miles of highways, completed over 180 bridges, and launched hundreds more projects," Pritzker said. "But Rebuild Illinois isn't just about building gleaming new state roads and bridges. It's also about fixing local roads and bridges that make a big difference in people's daily lives. Government ought to be all about making life better for our families and our communities right where we live. That's why I'm so excited to be here in Champaign to announce $250 million in new grants for counties, municipalities, and townships — bringing our total funding for these grants through Rebuild Illinois to $1 billion."
A total of $1.5 billion spread out in six installments is being invested over three years to advance municipal, township, and county projects across the state. Projects include road and bridge improvements, traffic signal upgrades, new storm sewers and bike paths, sidewalk replacements, and other long-term maintenance needs, with financial oversight from IDOT.
"At IDOT, there is no such thing as a federal road, a state road, a county road, or a township road. They are all Illinois roads that the public depends on each day," said Acting Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. "Because of the vision of Gov. Pritzker, Rebuild Illinois is making historic investments in our local transportation system. Working together with our partners, we are strengthening all modes of transportation across all jurisdictions."
The funding is in addition to the regular contributions through the state's motor fuel tax formula, which have increased due to Rebuild Illinois and already account for $706.5 million to local governments in this fiscal year alone.
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Passed in 2019, Rebuild Illinois is investing $33.2 billion into the state's aging transportation system, creating jobs, and promoting economic growth. The capital program is not only the largest capital program in state history, but also the first one that touches all modes of transportation: roads and bridges, transit, waterways, freight and passenger rail, aviation, and bicycle and pedestrian accommodations.
"This significant investment in new and improved infrastructure will allow our residents to travel safely and draw visitors to our area, helping our whole community move forward from the pandemic," said State Senator Scott Bennett. "Continued commitment to our state's transportation and infrastructure system is critical to jump-starting the economy and putting us back on track."
As part of its current FY2021-26 Proposed Highway Improvement Program, IDOT is investing a total of $21.3 billion to improve roads and bridges. Of that, $4.7 billion is identified for the local transportation system.
