Leaders from all over southern Illinois will be talking transportation at a special summit in Mt. Vernon Wednesday.
The meeting aims to help city, county, and regional planners understand the benefits of having a strong transportation infrastructure... and to also help explain both the state and federal transportation packages.
Matt Davidson is with the Associated Contractors of Illinois... and a member of the Transportation for Illinois Coalition. He says getting around is critical to everyone - no matter their age.
%22So%20really%2C%20transportation%20impacts%20all%20of%20us%20across%20the%20board.%22%20-%20Coalition%20member%20Matt%20Davidson
"If you're a senior citizen, you need to have access, maybe for doctors appointments or to go see your family, those kind of things. If you're a college student, it's important because SIU Carbondale, U of I and Eastern Illinois, where they're located, you need good access. Because, like Amtrak - a lot of them take Amtrak from Chicago down, the suburbs to school. So really, transportation impacts all of us across the board."
Davidson says attendees can learn how collaboration can help make proposals a reality, and also looks to the future of what could be coming from Washington and Springfield.
Coalition members say whether the transportation is by road, rail, air, or water, it's important for each to work well with the others in order to make sure people and goods get from one point to the next efficiently.
