Governor J.B. Pritzker joined state and local leaders along with the Illinois Department of Transportation Friday to announce a nearly $200 million investment in 22 projects to improve the movement of freight throughout Illinois on Mar 31st. on Mar 31st.
“For the last four years, we’ve invested billions of dollars in communities across Illinois to restore and renew all modes of transportation throughout our state: roads, bridges, airports, and transit, as well as pedestrian and bike routes. And today, I’m proud to announce yet another leap forward — nearly $200 million for the freight routes that have defined Illinois for generations,” said Pritzker said. “These funds will be used for 22 port, rail, and highway projects in Illinois to address bottlenecks, increase mobility, and improve the supply chain up and down the state.”
Seminole Gulf Railway, a rail company in Florida, noted that the Association of American Railroads reported that Illinois moves approximately 126 million tons of freight via the railroads annually. Illinois came second compared to Wyoming, which moves approximately 273 million tons a year.
The Illinois Competitive Freight Program will use federal funds and is designed to implement the goals of the Illinois State Freight Plan, with proposals having been ranked based on the plan’s goals: increasing safety, improving reliability, and boosting intermodal connections and commerce at the local level.
The Illinois Department of Transportation noted the state has 41 railroads in operation.
The recent announcement was made in Decatur, where a $10 million award to the city is the last funding piece needed for a $75 million project to build a Brush College Road overpass at Faries Parkway and the Norfolk Southern Railroad. The project separates the tracks from regular vehicle traffic, eliminating a bottleneck next to the Midwest Inland Port.
WTTW reported Illinois had seen approximately 148 derailments with trains hauling hazardous materials between 1998 to 2021, adding the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration reported the state is tied for the third state of these types of incidents in the nation in 2022.
In Decatur, the $10 million award will leverage additional public and private resources to remove a crossing that averages almost 200 trains a week, blocking traffic for 17 hours while creating congestion and impeding first responders. The project is necessary for the eventual reconstruction of 1.2 miles of Brush College Road, with additional capacity and safety enhancements near major regional employers ADM and Primient.
