Durbin Announces $128 Million in Recovery Act Funding for Job Creating Projects in Illinois
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that three Illinois transportation projects will receive a total of $128 million in funding through the Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program. Nearly $57 billion in bids were submitted nationwide for the $1.5 billion that was made available for TIGER grants through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Durbin was a leader in the effort to include TIGER program funding in the Recovery Act saying: “Throughout the country, we have huge bottlenecks that restrict the flow of freight and passengers. This congestion costs the United States an estimated $200 billion a year. The TIGER grant program is a coordinated, comprehensive effort to identify and fund nationally significant transportation projects that will improve safety, spur economic development, reduce congestion and create thousands of good paying jobs across the country.”
Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program, Northern Illinois: $100,000,000 in funding for to complete the highest priority projects in the program which include installing new traffic control systems; constructing a new rail bridge; and making other significant improvements to signals, switches, roadways, sidewalks, and other components. CREATE is a public-private partnership that includes 78 critically needed rail and highway infrastructure improvements in Northeast Illinois. CREATE will increase efficiency of passenger and freight rail service throughout the region by reducing conflicts among trains and between the railway and roadway networks.
“This is a significant amount of funding for the CREATE Program which was designed to relieve one of the most significant bottlenecks in the country’s freight rail system,” said Durbin. “The entire Illinois Delegation has worked closely with Governor Quinn and Mayor Daley to secure funding for this project which will create thousands of jobs in the Chicago-area and improve the quality of life in the region.”
Multi-Modal Transportation Center Project, Normal: $22,000,000 in funding for the completion of a downtown redevelopment project within the Town of Normal that is already underway. The Normal Multimodal Transportation Center will serve as a hub for numerous modes of transportation including Amtrak passenger rail, intercity bus, local mass transit, automobiles, intra-community shuttles, taxis, airport shuttles, as well as bicycles and pedestrians. The existing Normal Amtrak station is the second busiest passenger rail station in Illinois behind Chicago’s Union Station.
“With this funding to complete the multi-modal center, Normal is poised to become a showcase community for the potential of high-speed rail in America,” said Durbin. “This project will create hundreds of jobs in the region and serve as a transportation hub in the heart of Illinois. I want to congratulate Mayor Koos for securing this last amount of funding and also thank Congresswoman Halvorson for her efforts.”
The Southwest Regional Intermodal Freight Transportation Hub, Metro East: $6,000,000 in funding for a Tri-City Regional Port District project to construct a new harbor and connecting rail lines for an multimodal inland waterway transportation barge port and associated rail and truck facility in Madison County, Illinois.
“This project will reduce congestion along the Mississippi River and promote the economic competitiveness of the Metro East region,” said Durbin. “I commend local leaders organizing a strong application and Congressman Costello for his efforts to secure funding.”