Congresswoman Cheri Bustos announced that Illinois will receive more than $2.25 billion from the bipartisan, infrastructure Law, to improve roads, bridges, and tunnels across the State.
“Thanks to President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure Law, we’re making historic investments to build safer, stronger, and smarter roadways, here in Illinois,” said Congresswoman Bustos. “This investment in our roads, bridges, and tunnels will lower car repair costs, slash commute times, reduce gas usage and pollution, and support good-paying, union jobs in our local communities. I’m proud to have helped bring these investments home….I will continue partnering with our State and local leaders, to put these funds to work in Northwest and Central Illinois.”
Decades of underinvestment has left Illinois’ roads, bridges, and tunnels in poor condition. Nationwide, the United States ranks 13th globally in the quality of our infrastructure,. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the condition of U. S. infrastructure a C- grade.
President Biden and Congress enacted the bipartisan infrastructure Law to help rebuild our Nation, while continuing to power America’s strong, steady, economic recovery. This Law included the largest dedicated investment in surface transportation infrastructure, since the construction of the Interstate Highway System. Two hundred House Republicans voted against this bipartisan law.
The Federal funding for Illinois comes from 12 initiatives under the Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, for the upcoming fiscal year. Illinois’ allocation is part of a nearly $60 billion tranche from the Department of Transportation. Monies will support critical infrastructure in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Each State and Territory will have the flexibility to determine how these funds can best address longstanding needs.
Communities across the Country are already feeling the transformative impact of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law:
- The Bridge Formula Program supported repairs on over 2400 bridges.
- The Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Formula Program funded over $200 million of projects in 21 States.
- The Highway Safety Improvement Program supported improvements on more than 5300 projects, including a total of 155 roundabout projects throughout the Country, to reduce traffic conflict points.
- The National Highway Performance Program funded more than 6000 projects to improve safety and efficiency.