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* Capitol Illinois News covered yesterday’s Senate committee hearing on the state’s infrastructure issues…
Matt Magalis, acting secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation, laid out just some of the numbers to a Senate panel that’s been tasked with putting together a plan.
“We currently have 79 million square feet of bridges requiring maintenance and updates,” he said. “That’s over 730 state bridges. We also have a need over the next 10 years of additional funding of $13-15 billion for our highways. That is just maintenance. We also have a need for capacity (highway expansion) that is in the billions of dollars.”
In addition to highways, Magalis said there is a long list of needed upgrades for other forms of transportation: $250 million in state funds for airports around the state, not including Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports; $19.1 billion for public transit; $800 million for passenger rail; and $4 billion for freight rail.
Also, Margalis said, locks and dams along the state’s waterways, which carry a significant volume of freight, are facing costs in the “hundreds of millions of dollars.”
That totals $39 billion without the highway expansions, Chicago airports and the locks and dams.
* And that doesn’t include “vertical.” NPR Illinois…
Requests for money from across state government and beyond are starting to pile up.
The leaking roofs, aging plumbing, and failing heating and cooling systems at state facilities could cost up to $7.8 billion and, at public colleges and universities, $6.5 billion, according to the Capital Development Board, the agency responsible for state construction. And the Illinois State Board of Education says deferred maintenance at local schools totals around $9.6 billion. […]
While senators heard testimony from state agencies, elsewhere in the Capitol state representatives fielded requests for money for more pre-K classrooms and other deferred maintenance in schools, upgrades to Navy Pier, 10,000 units of affordable housing, and replacement of drinking water pipes that contain lead.
That totals $23.9 billion without the stuff in the second paragraph.
So, that’s $53 billion plus many more billions.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 12:43 pm
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I remember George Ryan pitching the GA on a big infrastructure/capital program…. big slide shows about the “Hillside Strangler” as well as crumbling overpasses. Then as now, everybody saw the blatant need for the repairs and upgrades… and they led to jobs and prosperity for a time too. What’s different about getting a capitol bill passed today versus back then?
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 12:51 pm
Sooooo don’t cross any bridge right now gotcha
Comment by Gohawks123 Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 12:53 pm
It would be a hell of a capital bill. So much money flying around, chances for waste, fraud, and abuse will abound.
Comment by Huh? Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 12:57 pm
” that’s $53 billion ”
SIXTY-three. So even worse.
Comment by Chris Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 1:00 pm
Let’s default on our debt.
We can’t afford the services we currently provide. Gov. Kick The Can proved this with his budget.
We have billions in deferred maintenance.
Illinois needs a do-over. We should consider defaulting on our debt.
Comment by Josh Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 1:02 pm
The need for flying cars becomes ever more apparent.
Good to see the “bridge square footage” listed, it provides a much clearer picture than simply listing the number of bridges alone. The rural folks won’t like it, but maybe with shrinking and geographically-changing demographics, we need to re-evaluate the need to replace bridges in their current numbers. Same thing with all other state infrastructure. Sure would be nice to have a plan.
Comment by Stuntman Bob's Brother Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 1:02 pm
Why is the state involved in freight rail improvement, isn’t that owned by the railroads?
Comment by OneMan Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 1:04 pm
=Illinois needs a do-over. We should consider defaulting on our debt.=
Maybe outmigration is a good thing since Illinoisans have a history of not wanting to pay (underfunding and borrowing). We need a smaller, less populated state with less needs if we’re “do-ing over”.
Comment by Deadbeat Conservative blocked once today Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 1:06 pm
Huh - we should bring in Bruce as a special consultant to keep the “waste, fraud, and abuse” under control./s
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 1:07 pm
==big slide shows about the “Hillside Strangler” as well as crumbling overpasses.==
As anyone travelling I-290 can attest, the strangling in Hillside continues to this very day.
==and they led to jobs and prosperity for a time too==
That was called the Dot-Com Bubble.
Comment by City Zen Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 1:10 pm
==we need to re-evaluate the need to replace bridges in their current numbers.==
You’re absolutely right. In Chicago, the 3 side streets between Damen and Western at Kinzie all had underpasses. Each bridge is maybe 80-100 ft wide. I’d wager keeping the one in the middle and removing the other 2 would be more than adequate to support local traffic.
There are dozens upon dozens of these examples in Chicago alone. It’s time to right-size our infrastructure.
Comment by City Zen Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 1:21 pm
== Illinois needs a do-over. We should consider defaulting on our debt. ==
Since States are not allowed to take bankruptcy, exactly how do you plan to do that?
We already tried Rauner’s “just don’t pay the bills”; that didn’t work very well.
Comment by RNUG Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 1:25 pm
=As anyone travelling I-290 can attest, the strangling in Hillside continues to this very day.=
It actually moved a mile east, and been renamed the “Bellwood Bottleneck”. Situation will continue until IDOT goes 4 lanes to Austin.
Comment by Bogey Golfer Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 1:32 pm
Add in $30 billion for water and sewer. Locks, dams, levees, and stormwater control is easily another $2-$3 billion. Do those transportation numbers include local needs? if not add in another $45Bish.
Easy $100B.
Comment by Collinsville Catsup Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 1:33 pm
===exactly how do you plan to do that?===
Simple solutions are usually neither and often stupid.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 1:42 pm
Let’s throw $5 Bill of solar PV in that list
Comment by Biker Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 1:46 pm
Underground infrastructure shouldn’t be ignore. Water distribution needs help
Comment by g Friday, Feb 22, 19 @ 2:16 pm