Barack Obama

Transportation bill includes major Illinois projects

Tuesday, August 2, 2005

DAILY SOUTHTOWN (AP)
By Dennis Conrad
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Congress is gearing up to consider a compromise transportation bill that promises $1.23 billion a year, and possibly much more, for Illinois road, bridge and mass transit projects over the next five years.

"These dollars will be used for vital road, bridge and other high-priority projects throughout our state," said House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. "It's important we begin planning today for our future transportation needs in order to protect our quality of life and economic growth."

Included are $240 million for a new bridge across the Mississippi River; $152 million for a new connector highway for Interstates 80 and 88, plus $55 million for a Route 34 interchange in northern Illinois; and $140 million for a western access road for Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, according to lawmakers and aides.

Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Ill., said he also obtained, with Hastert's help, at least $200 million for CREATE, a proposed Chicago-area infrastructure project to loosen the national freight rail bottleneck in northeastern Illinois. It had been a major goal of his father, former Rep. Bill Lipinski, D-Ill., before he retired last year.

The House was expected to vote on the comprehensive bill late Thursday, its last major act before recessing for the six-week summer break. The Senate was planning to take up the $286.4 billion measure Friday.

With the president's expected signature, the act would end an almost two-year impasse in which Congress and the White House battled over proper spending levels and states were at odds over how best to divide up billions in federal highway money.

Over the five-year life of the bill, Illinois would get at least $1.5 billion more than it did in the previous, six-year highway spending measure.

Also, Illinois mass transit would receive $2.1 billion over a five-year period, from the current fiscal year that began Oct. 1, 2004, through Sept. 30, 2009, compared to the $1.9 billion it got over six years under the old law.

"It's time to put people to work at improving our roads and our bridges and our public transportation so that Illinois can still be at the crossroads of a 21st century America," said freshman Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., who was part of the House-Senate conference committee that worked on the latest version of the bill.

"We talk about jobs, jobs, jobs," Hastert said. "For every billion dollars that is spent in this highway bill over the next not even five years now, it will create 48,000 jobs in this country."

Hastert's district in north-central Illinois would be a major beneficiary. He acknowledged seeking money for the interstate connector that is expected to be called the Prairie Parkway, and for a proposed $200 million Stearns Road bridge in Kane County.

Mike Stokke, Hastert's deputy chief of staff, estimated that altogether there would be about $2 billion for Illinois projects on top of the usual road-and-bridge and mass transit aid driven by federal funding formulas.

He also praised the bipartisan work of the Illinois congressional delegation.

"We've had a great relationship working with Senator Obama ... he talked to all the (Illinois) House members, Republican and Democrat," Stokke said.

The delegation was well-prepared for this round of transportation negotiations, which usually occurs every five or six years.

For the first time, Hastert was the speaker as the talks occurred. Sen. Dick Durbin is the assistant Democratic leader in the Senate, which is the second-highest leadership post of the minority party. In addition to Obama, Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill., actually served on the House-Senate conference committee.

"I think the Illinois delegation worked extremely effective together," Obama said, describing Hastert, Durbin and Costello as the "real leaders."

Costello said he secured $150 million for the bridge through his influence in the House as a ranking Democrat on a House Transportation Committee subcommittee, while Durbin, Obama and Missouri GOP Sen. Kit Bond helped get an additional $90 million.

"Our original goal was $350 million over six years, which is the maximum amount of money the Illinois and Missouri Departments of Transportation could spend over that period of time," Costello said. "The bill runs through 2009 - five years including this fiscal year, which ends on September 30th - so on a per year basis we did very well."

On the CREATE rail project, Lipinski said $900 million had been requested from the federal government for what is expected to be a 10-year, $1.5 billion program that will also involve state, Chicago and rail industry funds.