Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $9 Million to Protect and Rebuild Illinois' Infrastructure Impacted by Severe Weather Events
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $9,026,212 through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) grant program to study and improve infrastructure across the state of Illinois.
“Through the PROTECT grant program, we are embarking on a crucial endeavor to study and address the vulnerabilities of our transportation systems in the face of increasingly severe weather threats,” said Durbin. “With strategic investments and collaborative efforts, we will build stronger, more resilient infrastructure that can withstand the challenges of the 21st century and beyond.”
“Every year, communities in Illinois and across the country struggle to plan for and recover from severe weather events,” said Duckworth. “One of the best things we can do to protect our cities and towns is ensure they have the tools, resources and research they need to prepare for flooding and other severe weather. I’m relieved that this funding will help Champaign County study potential transportation infrastructure vulnerabilities during severe weather events and enable Maywood to make much-needed upgrades to their sewer systems to reduce flooding.”
Project descriptions can be found below:
| Recipient | Award | Project Description |
| Champaign County Regional Planning Commission | $380,022 | The Champaign County Regional Planning Commission will receive $380,000 to study transportation infrastructure vulnerability during severe weather events throughout Champaign County. The analysis will enhance accessibility and safety by helping the county better plan for the impacts of climate change and adapt existing transportation to mitigate future damages. |
| Illinois Department of Transportation | $8,646,190 | The Illinois Department of Transportation will receive over $8.6 million to upgrade sewers along Harrison Street to reduce flooding on I-290 and protect local roadways and homes in the Village of Maywood from severe flooding impacts. The project will alleviate stress on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago system during high rainfall events and is part of a greater Eisenhower Expressway project that will repair the corridor to meet current and future challenges of a growing population facing climate change. |
The PROTECT grant program was established through theBipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which Durbin and Duckworth both supported, to ensure surface transportation resilience from natural hazards including the climate crisis, sea level rise, flooding, extreme weather events, and other natural disasters through support of planning activities, resilience improvements, community resilience and evacuation routes, and at-risk coastal infrastructure.
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