Illinois DOT Issues $7 Million for Local Truck Traffic Projects
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The Illinois Department of Transportation awarded $7 million in support of projects that will upgrade roads to better accommodate local truck traffic.
The funding was distributed unevenly across 21 projects, which represent a total investment of $36 million.
“Illinois is the country’s transportation hub, with freight activity a cornerstone of the state’s economy,” said IDOT Secretary Omer Osman. “At IDOT, we want our local partners to have the necessary tools to manage traffic safely and spur even more job creation and economic growth.”
The grants were awarded through IDOT’s Truck Access Route Program, which allows counties, municipalities and towns to apply for assistance in upgrading roads to accommodate 80,000-pound trucks and become designated truck routes.
IDOT has awarded $7 million to put toward a total investment of $36 million for communities to better handle truck traffic and spur economic growth: https://t.co/GZyPCO64Ut pic.twitter.com/FHuTBUBitK — IDOT_Illinois (@IDOT_Illinois) April 5, 2021
During this round of funding, some $651,000 was awarded for a project on Chicago Road in DeKalb County, which connects to state Route 23. DeKalb County is in northern Illinois, about 60 miles west of Chicago.
In Champaign County, some $900,000 was awarded to support County Highway 20, which links to U.S. 45. This north-south route stretches from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico.
Also among the awards was a $318,500 grant for a project involving County Highway 14 in Franklin County, which connects to SR 148, a north-south route in southern Illinois. Franklin County, which wraps around the lower half of Rend Lake, is about 100 miles southeast of St. Louis.
According to IDOT, a maximum of $900,000 can be awarded to projects that improve connections to other designated truck routes and businesses that generate freight traffic. The application asks interested participants to list the project’s length in feet and miles, the number of lanes included in the project’s scope and traffic figures.
On the American Society of Civil Engineers’ report card for Illinois’ infrastructure, issued in 2018, roads earned a D.
Improving safety and driving economic growth, especially at the local level, have been key aspects of transportation programs under Gov. Jay “J.B.” Pritzker.
On March 11, Pritzker announced $250 million in grants to support local transportation projects. The funds were provided through Rebuild Illinois, an infrastructure improvement initiative approved in 2019 that is meant to support investment in roads, bridges, transit, education, state parks, historic sites and clean water infrastructure.
READ MORE: Illinois Gov. Pritzker Announces $250 Million for Local Transportation
Only 14.3% of the truck driver population is made up of African Americans, followed by 13% Hispanic, and 7% Asian. In this episode, host Michael Freeze wonders what industry leaders are doing to increase those percentages. We talk to two trucking industry experts who have implemented their own practices that are contributing to a more diverse work community. Hear a snippet, above, and get the full program by going to RoadSigns.TTNews.com.
Rebuild Illinois set aside $1.5 billion for municipal, town and county projects. The funding is being distributed to local government agencies in six installments over three years.
Illinois’ fuel tax rate doubled in 2019 as part of Rebuild Illinois, and rates increased again slightly in 2020.
The state’s current motor fuel tax rates are 46.2 cents per gallon for diesel and 38.7 cents per gallon for gasoline.
Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity also recently announced a job-training program. Developed in partnership with the Association for Supply Chain Management, the program targets those who have become unemployed or underemployed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program also is designed to help Illinois residents embrace the growth of e-commerce, shipping and logistics in the state.
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