© 2024 WSIU Public Broadcasting
WSIU Public Broadcasting
Member-Supported Public Media from Southern Illinois University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

IDOT Chief: Infrastructure Planning Lags Behind

transportation

Illinois' transportation chief has delivered a tough review of the state's capacity to solve problems, saying it's planning ``for yesterday's transportation system.''
Randy Blankenhorn has served as the secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation for seven months.

He gave a speech in Chicago Wednesday that cited traffic congestion and sluggish movement of freight as examples of Illinois being too focused on the condition of state roads and bridges. He said the state is failing to look at the bigger picture.

Meanwhile new analysis finds the state would need to bring in billions of dollars in additional revenues to maintain its infrastructure.

Martin Luby wrote the report for the University of Illinois' Institute of Government and Public Affairs. He says Illinois would need a minimum of about four billion dollars annually to spend on infrastructure in the coming decades. But he says if the work doesn't get done, it could hurt the state's economy.
 
"People and businesses - they look to infrastructure in making their locational decision. To the extent that we're not investing in or maintaining our infrastructure, we're really undermining our economic base. People aren't going to locate there. Businesses aren't going to locate there, so our tax base is going to decline."
 
Illinois has been operating without a long-term capital construction plan for more than a year, but annual work and maintenance continue on a smaller scale.

Blankenhorn is a veteran transportation expert who was appointed in January to lead the Illinois Department of Transportation by Gov. Bruce Rauner.
 

As a WSIU donor, you don’t simply watch or listen to public media programs, you are a partner. By making a gift, you help WSIU produce, purchase, and broadcast programs you care about and enjoy – every day of the year.