State of Illinois Announces Long Range Road Construction Plan

The State of Illinois is out with an ambitious long range plan for road construction, even amid uncertainty over future funding.

The state wants to spend $5 billion on roads and bridges over the next year. That's nearly double what was outlined in recent plans.

The projects range from new roads, to repairs and efforts to ease traffic congestion.

Illinois AFL-CIO President Mike Carrigan says it will also put people to work.

"When people work, those paychecks go into local banks and it helps those local economies", says Carrigan. "In turn, those local economies help the state economy."

Illinois expects to use a mix of funding for the projects, much of it from the federal government this year. Beyond that, the state would also rely on proceeds from the new video gambling law. But many communities don't want to participate, and that could greatly reduce the amount of money available for infrastructure. Governor Pat Quinn says he's not worried.

"We have ample money in the first several years of our plan here to pay for everything", says Quinn. "I think we can carry forward whatever the case may be."

The Governor calls the road plan "fair", all regions of Illinois will have projects funded.