Capital bill to address state's roads and bridges

SPRINGFIELD - Illinois lawmakers were given a rude awakening on Thursday, Feb. 21, about the condition of the state's roads and bridges as they began preparing to put together what is expected to be a multibillion-dollar, long-term capital improvements plan.

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."

Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill), who chairs one of the Senate's two appropriations committees, conceded that the state will need to find new revenue to pay for any new bonds that are issued to fund another capital plan.

That could mean higher motor fuel taxes, higher sales taxes, or some other form of revenue.

Manar was joined at the news conference by Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-Cicero), who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee. He said Illinois might have to look beyond motor fuel and sales taxes and focus on other, more creative ways to finance a capital plan.