Illinois Resources

Anyone who has sat nervously in traffic under a crumbling highway viaduct, waited in gridlock traffic on the Eisenhower or waited for a CTA bus that never showed up understands how much of a problem infrastructure is in Chicago. City policymakers and their private partners want to solve all of the above. Starting this year, Illinois will receive nearly $18 billion in federal infrastructure funds, on top of the $45 billion the state already committed to repair roads, bridges, rails and more—a collective windfall for infrastructure that this area has not witnessed at any other point in its history. "It's massive," says Gia Biagi, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation. "Everybody recognizes this is a moment. It is a singular chance to shift fortunes and to scale everything up."

Last Friday's passage of the $1.2-trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in Congress provided a much-needed win for President Joe Biden. However, sustainable transportation advocates pointed out that the legislation largely prolongs the car-centric status quo by allocating scores of billions of dollars for driving projects, including nearly $110 billion for highways. Still, there are some upsides of the bill for walking, biking, transit, and intercity rail in terms of new funding and better policies. Streetsblog Chicago checked in with local transportation advocates and experts to get their takes on how the deal will impact active transportation in Chicagoland, for better or worse. Active Transportation Alliance "The infrastructure bill provides a historic opportunity to improve and expand public transit in the Chicago area," said ATA spokesperson Kyle Whitehead. "Long-promised projects like the Red Line Extension and a network of bus priority streets should be advanced with robust community engagement and transparency." However, Whitehead argued that overall the bill fails to go far enough in establishing the transportation funding splits and policy needed to achieve real progress on our region’s climate and equity challenges. "It maintains the inequitable 80/20 split in highway and transit spending. The road spending comes with very few strings attached and could be spent on projects that would move us in the wrong direction. It will be critical to hold our elected officials, [the Illinois and Chicago transportation departments] accountable to their climate and equity commitments in spending these funds." Whitehead added that it will be crucial for Congress to pass the separate Build Back Better Act package of climate change and social service service initiatives, which includes $40 billion in targeted investments to advance racial and environmental justice in transportation. "Components include $10 billion to support transit access to affordable housing, $4 billion for reducing transportation emissions, and $1 billion for reconnecting communities isolated by highway projects." He lauded the new All Stations Accessibility Program , which earmarks $1.75 billion for retrofitting historic transit stations like CTA 'L' stops to make them wheelchair accessible, as well as as well as digital improvements, like creating new apps and way finding services for people with cognitive challenges. "Thank you to [Illinois U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth], who championed this program with support from [the local disability advocacy group] Access Living and transit and disability rights advocates from across the country." As far as walking and biking goes, Whitehead noted that the bill also includes a 60 percent increase for the Transportation Alternatives Program , which has funded many walking and biking projects in the Chicago area. "This could be used to advance a community-informed vision for a citywide network of protected bike lanes in Chicago and safe and connected trail networks that extend into the suburbs."

Illinois stands to get $17 billion in funds once President Biden signs the infrastructure bill that passed Friday.

The long-awaited infrastructure bill passed! Over the next ten years, the bill will invest in the following major transportation buckets: $110B in roads and bridges $66B in railroads $39B in public transit $25B for airports $17B for ports $15B for electric vehicles $11B for road safety $1B for reconnecting communities Equally importantly, the bill will invest $55B in water infrastructure including: $11.7B to Clean Water State Revolving Funds $11.7B to Drinking Water State Revolving Funds $15B to general State Revolving Funds, specifically to identify and replace lead service lines $10B to address emerging contaminants, such as PFAS This water investment is critical given that Illinois has the most lead service lines of any state, and these funds will support a significant level of lead pipe replacement. In addition to lead pipes, Illinois communities have a long backlog of water infrastructure maintenance and repair needs. The State Revolving Fund is a federal, low-interest loan program designed to support water service infrastructure repair and replacement , distributed to states which provide matching funds. The infrastructure bill stipulates that 49% of funds be distributed as grants and principal forgiveness loans, meaning it will essentially be free money for some communities. Much of our water infrastructure was constructed with federal money, and, since then, an increasingly large share has fallen to state and local levels. This results in an untenable situation that impacts Black and Brown communities most acutely, as the recent water crisis in Dixmoor highlights . This long-awaited investment in our nation’s infrastructure will help move water to the top of many capital improvement lists.

This document describes Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) staff’s interpretations of the legislation. This document is meant to be used by local governments for informational purposes only. It is neither an official record of how the funding will be administered nor a call for projects. On November 15, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that makes generational investments for rebuilding the nation’s roads, bridges, and rails. More than $567 billion in funding will go toward projects and programs that affect every aspect of transportation. It expands access to clean drinking water, addresses climate change, strengthens the nation’s broadband infrastructure, and supports safer travel. IIJA reauthorizes transportation programs for the next five years (FY2022-26). This update focuses on key transportation provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. *Note: The Illinois funding estimates within this update were provided by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee . Funding estimates for Illinois are highlighted in this document .*

On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58), officially enacting the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). This follows votes in both the U.S. House of Representatives (228-206) and the U.S. Senate (69-30).  The BIL provides $973 billion over five years from FY 2022 through FY 2026, including $550 billion in new investments for all modes of transportation, water, power and energy, environmental remediation, public lands, broadband and resilience. In addition to providing authorizations for a wide variety of programs, the BIL also makes advanced appropriations over a number of years to several federal agencies. Typically, federal appropriations are made over one fiscal year by an annual appropriations act or an omnibus. Counties play a major role in America's transportation and infrastructure network , owning and operating 44 percent of public roads and 38 percent of bridges -- more than any other level of government. Simultaneously, counties directly support 78 percent of public transit systems and 34 percent of airports that keep our residents connected in every corner of the country. Each year, counties invest $134 billion in the construction of infrastructure and the maintenance and operation of public works.

Illinois is the transportation hub of the nation and the sixth largest state in the United States, but has not had a comprehensive, multi-year capital plan since 2009. Overall, Illinois’ infrastructure has a C-rating, and deferred maintenance backlogs for our road and transit systems alone have reached $30 billion. Currently, 74 percent of Illinois roads and 86 percent of bridges are rated as acceptable.  Rebuilding Illinois through a capital plan will create good jobs and develop needed infrastructure in each area of the state, investing $44.8 billion over six years, with $33.2 billion of that amount allocated to transportation, and supporting an estimated 540,000 direct, indirect, and induced jobs throughout the life of the 6-year Rebuild Illinois plan (approximately 90,000 jobs per year). Rebuild Illinois includes: $25.4 billion for Illinois’ roads and bridges. $1.4 billion for major rail projects and added Grade Crossing Protection projects. $150 million for aeronautic facility improvements. $150 million in new funding for port improvements.