Video Release: Schneider, Colleagues Announce Historic $1.4 Billion for Illinois Bridges Through Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Above: Congressman Schneider (center) announces that Illinois will receive $274 million for bridge repair this year. From left to right: IDOT's Steve Travia, Congresswoman Schakowsky, State Senator Murphy, Congressman Krishnamoorthi, Schneider, Congressman Quigley, and Mayor Goczkowski

DES PLAINES, Ill. - Today, Representatives Brad Schneider (IL-10), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Mike Quigley (IL-05), and Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08) announced that through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Illinois will receive a historic $1.4 billion over five years to repair bridges in poor condition, including $274.8 million in Fiscal Year 2022. Nationwide, the investment represents more than $27 billion to fix an estimated 15,000 bridges. This is the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system.

Video of the announcement can be found here.

In Illinois, there are more than 2,374 bridges in poor condition. Since 2011, commute times have increased by more than seven percent in Illinois, and on average, every Illinois driver pays $609 per year in costs due to driving on roads in need of repair. The bridge funding announced today will go to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), which will determine how to invest it across the state.

"The interstate system transformed our country. We need to make this investment to repair, rebuild, and reimagine the bridges that America has come to depend on," said Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10). "This is a historic day: $275 million invested this year and $1.4 billion over the next five years in Illinois. It's going to make a difference in our communities; it's going to create quality jobs; it's going to ease traffic; it's going to lift the lives of all Illinoisans. The fact that this infrastructure bill is bipartisan shows that it is possible to reach across the aisle, bridge the gap, and find common ground."

"I'm proud to join with my Illinois Delegation colleagues today in celebrating this announcement of funds available to the State of Illinois to repair our old and failing bridges," said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-09). "This investment, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is the largest of its kind in American history. Throughout all parts of my district, there are bridges that people rely on every day that are long overdue for some TLC, and these funds will help provide just that."

"For years, our country was promised infrastructure improvements that simply never materialized. Thanks to President Biden and Congressional Democrats, Illinois will finally receive long overdue funding to invest in our crumbling roads and bridges," said Congressman Mike Quigley (IL-05). "Anyone in Chicago who has ever driven across the Webster Street Bridge knows how badly our city needs this funding. The $1.4 billion our state is receiving from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will mean we can make improvements to the Webster Street Bridge and bridges all across the state. This is no longer theoretical. I am thrilled to have supported funding that will have a real impact on Chicagoans everyday lives."

"Today, we're showing the American people that their government is working to improve their daily lives through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act," said Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08). "In my district, nearly twelve percent of our bridges are classified as structurally deficient, meaning at least one of their key elements is in poor condition or worse. With the funding the White House is announcing today from the bipartisan infrastructure law, we will begin to repair those bridges, keeping our communities and economy running smoothly and safely."

"I'm one of those who uses this bridge all the time. There is nothing more important than ensuring that we have roads that allow people to get where they're going and allow good and services to go through," said State Senator Laura Murphy (District 28). "I just want to spend a minute thanking our congressional delegation because without them, we're competing with 435 other areas that want to bring money, and our congressional delegation does a great job bringing that money home to Illinois.

"I am grateful to have representation at the federal level: we have people who are dedicated to growing our areas. We happen to be in a location where we have some really amazing representatives. Des Plaines is a city where we're near an airport, we have multiple great passenger lines, we have highways, and like everywhere else in the country, a lot of this infrastructure is getting older and is in need of replacement," said Des Plaines Mayor Andrew Goczkowski.

"The Chicago Federation of Labor represents 300 unions that represent half-a-million working people in Chicago and Cook County," said Bob Reiter, President, Chicago Federation of Labor. "It's the people that work in the transportation industry, but also the people that depend on it, from the southern border of Cook County all the way up through here, going to the northwest suburbs, there are working people all across Cook County… Whatever we can do to improve the infrastructure improves the lives of everyone. And that goes for flooding basements, to broken bridges, to roads that are untravellable after a hard winter… We have a density of working people like nowhere else in the country. And we need to keep those people working. Improving our infrastructure will do that."

"With the passage of the federal Infrastructure Act, our state is positioned as a leader in transportation in exciting ways for generations to come," said Steve Travia, Illinois Department of Transportation's Director of Highways. "The new federal commitment builds on Illinois' success. With nearly 27,000 bridges in Illinois, we certainly have plenty of needs… With Rebuild Illinois and the IIJA, the possibilities are endless. This investment is something that we will see statewide currently in our fiscal year '22 program. That's about 170 bridges that we are already moving on and we will be able to move more bridges into our program as a result of this investment."

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