* We talked about this yesterday…

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held by the Iowa and Illinois departments of transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Quad Cities communities on Wednesday, Dec. 1, to celebrate opening the new I-74 Mississippi River Bridge.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (who had a previous family commitment) provided an official statement and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker was joined by federal, state and local officials in making public remarks celebrating the opening of the iconic structure, as well as the future of the QC region.

* But the governor also announced this…

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker paid a visit to Quad Cities International Airport to announce capital funding that will improve airports across Illinois, starting with the Quad Cities International Airport itself.

Pritzker says the state will be investing $94 million in doing work on airports across the state, with over $5 million going to the Quad Cities International Airport. The money will fund an entrance road realignment and expanded aircraft parking at the airport.

“Starting right here in the Quad Cities, we’re launching the largest statewide airport investment program in state history,” said Pritzker.

* Partial project list…

• Quad Cities International Airport, $3.3 million for entrance road realignment, $2.3 million for aircraft parking expansion.
• Taylorville Municipal Airport, $1.4 million for runway rehabilitation.
• Bolingbrook’s Clow International Airport, $2.4 million for taxiway replacement, $75,000 for replacement of rotating beacon.
• Vermilion Regional Airport, $500,000 for perimeter fence, $350,000 for entrance road rehabilitation.
• Shelby County Airport, $460,000 toward hangar construction.
• Effingham County Memorial Airport, $3.5 million for runway extension, $1.5 million for taxiway extension.
• Crawford County Airport, $4.9 million for new taxiway.
• Kewanee Municipal Airport, $1.1 million for hangar access taxi lane reconstruction, $700,000 to replace fuel system.
• Quincy Regional Airport, $3.5 million to build aircraft apron and road, $2.4 million for T-hangar and taxiway.
• Schaumburg Regional, $105,000 for fuel system installation, $70,000 for security gate modifications.
• Pekin Municipal Airport, $1.05 million for T-hangar pavement and access road construction, $800,000 to replace fuel system.
• St. Louis Downtown Airport, $5 million for ramp and taxiway access from airfield as well as noise and jet blast mitigation.
• Southern Illinois Airport, $835,000 for apron expansion, $280,000 for road relocation.

The full list is here. Springfield’s airport will receive $3 million from the state for parking lot and roadway improvements.

* And then there was this…

Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Office of Broadband today announced a new planning and capacity building program to help Illinois communities leverage historic broadband infrastructure funding for community-driven broadband expansion. The Accelerate Illinois Broadband Infrastructure Planning Program – a collaborative effort by the Illinois Office of Broadband, Illinois-based Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, and University of Illinois Extension – will help local governments throughout Illinois receive expert support as they prepare to leverage new dollars that will be made available by the state as well as through the historic passage of the federal infrastructure program. The collaboration opportunity is made possible through the financial support of Heartland Forward and its Connecting the Heartland Initiative.

The Illinois Office of Broadband is calling on local units of government – particularly cities, counties, and multi-county regions – to apply to receive expert support offered as part of an intensive 14-week community engagement program designed to turn available public broadband funding into sustainable broadband access.

“Access to high speed, reliable internet is not a luxury – it’s a necessity for healthcare, success in school, and to compete in a 21st century economy,” said Gov. Pritzker. “Keeping our communities connected has never been more important than it is today and this pilot will help communities play a direct role in delivering broadband infrastructure improvements to close the gaps on service. With an historic amount of funding available thanks to our own Connect Illinois initiative and with new federal infrastructure dollars coming from Washington we are committed to reaching our goal of delivering universal broadband access across our state.”