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Multi-year IDOT construction plan includes Springfield-area projects

Patrick Keck, State Journal-Register
·3 min read
Roads throughout the state, including Interstate 55 in Springfield, will see improvements through the new Illinois Department multi-year program.
Roads throughout the state, including Interstate 55 in Springfield, will see improvements through the new Illinois Department multi-year program.

A $34.6 billion, six-year program to address aging transit infrastructure that was announced Friday includes several projects in Springfield.

Funded in-part by the Rebuild Illinois program and federal investment, the Illinois Department of Transportation plan will improve roads, bridges, transit, rail, airports and ports all over the state.

A grand total of $259.5 million will go toward Interstate 55 and other local route improvements solely in Sangamon County – investments that are supported by Springfield Mayor James Langfelder and state Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield.

"The multi-year plan being unveiled here today is a monumental step forward in building up our transparent and equitable transportation system," said Turner, a former Springfield City Council member, at the conference held in-front of the Springfield IDOT building.

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According to IDOT, more than 2,500 miles of road and nearly 10 million square feet of bridge deck area will be reconstructed or rehabilitated through the program funded through both federal and state means. Also included in the spending package are investments in rail and transit systems, airports and ports totaling $10 billion.

Locally, the improvements to I-55 include an addition of lanes and reconstruction for a 7.8-mile stretch north of Sangamon Avenue and up toward Williamsville, with a projected cost of $124.2 million, and resurfacing and bridge repair between Illinois 104 and Horse Farm Road for $18.5 million.

New lanes will also be added in the I-55 business area between Sixth Street and Stanford Avenue, with this 3.9-mile zone also seeing intersection reconstruction and new turning lanes and sidewalks. The project has an estimated cost of $40.4 million.

Outside of I-55, there are two projects at the Illinois 97/125 junction and MacArthur Boulevard. The 1.5-mile area between Wabash Avenue and South Grand Avenue will replace traffic signals and make Americans with Disabilities Act improvement for $28 million. The $76.4 million junction project will include a bridge removal and replacement, lane extension, and a pedestrian overpass.

Funding for these projects comes from both the state and federal level, with the majority of funds coming from Rebuild Illinois. Over the next six years, Rebuild Illinois will invest $33.2 billion into state transportation with the remainder coming from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Related:Community leaders and lawmakers laud completion of upgrades to Chatham Road

Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman said IIJA played a major role in getting this plan done and called the legislation the "biggest federal commitment to the nation's system of transportation since the Eisenhower administration." The legislation expanded IDOT investment in the program by $4 billion.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed Rebuild Illinois in 2019 and is described as the state's largest capital program in its history. The governor said the state had under-invested in infrastructure prior to him taking office- costing drivers more than $500 a year in flat tires and leading businesses to leave the state.

"That's why we need Rebuild Illinois now," he said.

According to the governor's office, IDOT has made improvements to nearly 4,500 miles of highway since the passage of Rebuild Illinois.

Contact Patrick Keck: 312-549-9340, pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Pritzker announces $34.6 billion, multi-year IDOT plan