Kankakee, IL – Today, State Representative Lindsay Parkhurst (R – Kankakee) is excited to announce major road and bridge projects for the 79th District stemming from the Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan.
“I voted against raising taxes for the capital bill because Illinois families are already overtaxed. The people deserve more than two days to consider and vote on such an astronomical spending plan with money the state did not have to spend, but wanted to generate through a myriad of tax increases. However, this vote did not stop me from fighting to get capital projects for the taxpayers of the 79th District in the Rebuild Illinois Plan. I have, and will continue, to advocate strongly for local infrastructure projects to improve the safety of our roads and bridges, and to accommodate for growth in the area. I am happy to report many of these projects are included in IDOT’s Multiyear Plan,” Rep. Parkhurst stated.
The $8.5 million project to improve the efficiency at the intersection of Route 50 and Armour Road has been included in the Capital Plan. The project will span from the Bridge at I-57, down Armour Road, through Route 50, to the Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge. The project includes adding turn lanes, removing the 4-way stop sign at CSL Behring and replacing it with a stoplight, and coordinating stoplights on Armour Road and Route 50 to increase the efficiency of the flow of traffic. The first part of this project is slated for 2020.
There is also an $11.5 million project to reconstruct the bridge and improve the geometrics including changing the alignment of the ramps to improve safety at the I-57 Exit 308 interchange. The first part of this project is slated for 2020.
In Grundy County, there will be a $22 million project on I-55 to improve the road and bridges from Gardner Road to the Will County Line. The first part of this project is slated for 2020.
For a list of all projects in the 79th District and statewide, please see the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT’s) Multi-Year Program (MYP) for FY20-FY25. This 5-year plan includes the capital funds from the $45 billion Rebuild Illinois capital infrastructure plan. The MYP contains only the state infrastructure plan for roads and bridges and uses a different planning model from prior years. It uses the Transportation Asset Management Plan (TAMP) which is a risk-based asset management plan required by the National Highway System to improve or preserve the condition of the assets and the performance of the highway system. TAMP prioritizes the maintenance of roads and bridges to save the state money in an effort to maximize federal match.
The MYP program for Roads and Bridges on state highways statewide includes:
- Roadway Maintenance – $7.58 billion
- Bridges – $4.99 billion
- Safety/System Modernization – $1.59 billion
- Expansion – $3.08 billion
- System Support – $2.11 billion
The MYP for District 79 includes $447,195,000 for 77 state highway projects in the 79th District covering 113.59 miles.
The MYP is only for state roads and bridges. This is in addition to the approximately 68% increase units of local government are receiving through the new Transportation Renewal Fund that distributes the proceeds from the recently enacted $0.19 motor fuel tax.
Constituents can search individual districts by following this link and clicking on the “Lists” tab. From there, click on the “Specialized Breakouts” drop-down box and type in the legislative district of your choosing. For local road projects within IDOT District 3, click on the link here.
