Stopgap Means Workers Stay on Job, Projects Uninterrupted
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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) applauds passage of the stopgap measure and will proceed as scheduled with its road and bridge construction program. Workers on IDOT projects will be permitted to be on the job as usual on Friday, July 1, though some work will be suspended due to the need to remove some lane restrictions to accommodate heavier traffic volumes over the holiday weekend.
“Under the Governor’s leadership, we look forward to completing a safe and successful construction season that makes Illinois an even better place to work, raise a family and do business,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn. “But today is not the end. We look forward to working together with all stakeholders in the near future on a permanent solution and passing a balanced budget with structural reforms.
Without today’s funding agreement, IDOT was faced with suspending approximately 800 road and bridge projects statewide worth about $2 billion. An estimated 25,000 construction workers would have been sent home. In addition to IDOT’s road program, the construction stoppage also would have halted aeronautics, transit and rail projects, including the Chicago-to-St. Louis high-speed rail program.
With a spending plan in place, IDOT also can proceed with a construction program for the upcoming fiscal year that invests almost $2 billion in the state’s roads and bridges. Distribution of the share of the state motor fuel tax for local governments, funding for improvements such as repaving local streets, repairing sidewalks and buying salt for winter, will continue uninterrupted.
