Crumbling roads and bridges.
Slow, crowded transit lines.
Years of declining investment have left Illinois' roads, rails and bridges in poor shape. We must invest an additional $43 billion over ten years to rebuild and upgrade our state's transportation network.
Fixing this will actually cost us less in the long run: From damaged vehicles to lost time, our deteriorating infrastructure is taking money out of our pockets and slowing down our economy.
Hey, Illinois: Let's fill this $43 billion pothole and get back in gear.
Transportation problems mean real headaches and real costs.
“Potholes! You cannot avoid them.”
—Andrea B., Peoria
In Peoria, Andrea B. drives to work on pothole-marked University Street—one of the busiest streets in the city. There's no viable alternative to the daily experience of traveling on a street that has been filled with potholes for years.
According to the American Society for Civil Engineers, Illinois drivers spend an extra $3.7 billion a year on repair bills for damage from poor road conditions. That's $449 per driver every year.
How can we get excited about maintaining our transportation infrastructure?
“If the train were more frequent and reliable, it would be a much more attractive alternative to driving.”
—Charles H., Elmhurst
Charles H.'s alarm clock goes off at 4:40 and he gets ready to go downtown. He's taken the Metra, but there are often delays, and there are few trains he can take to get home at the end of his work day. Driving can mean long, long waits in traffic.
Completing the planned (but unfunded) improvements in the CREATE Program would save Illinois train commuters more than 800,000 hours of delays every year.
“There are a lot of cheap and easy ways we could make biking—and riding the bus—easier in the city.”
—Emily O., Chicago
Riding a bike is far more than recreation for Emily O.: it's her preferred mode of transportation throughout the year in Chicago. As an experienced bike rider, she well knows the benefits of biking—and relatively cheap and cost-effective improvements like more protected bike lanes the city can make to enhance safety and attract more riders.
According to navigation experts TomTom, drivers in metropolitan Chicago waste 114 hours a year sitting in traffic…
At UPS, a five minute delay per driver per day costs $105 million per year.
Efficient transportation is critical to UPS and its ability to provide superior service to its millions of customers. Illinois, and especially the Chicago region, is an important part of the UPS transportation network and is home to the company's largest ground sorting facility in the nation.
The effect and costs of poor infrastructure are staggering. At UPS, a five minute delay per driver per day costs $105 million per year. For UPS and other businesses around Illinois, investing more in transportation would not only reduce these costs, it would allow them to better serve customers.
Illinois: Let's invest $43 billion to fix our transportation network instead of continuing to waste time and money.
Add your name to the growing list of Illinois residents and businesses with a message for our leaders Springfield: We are committed to investing more in our transportation system, and we must start in 2016.
Latest news from Accelerate Illinois
Lockbox amendment makes sense for Illinois- Nov 1, 2016
- The first thing Illinois voters will see on their ballot is the Safe Roads Amendment, a referendum to create a “lockbox” to protect transportation funding. In effect, any fee or tax we pay related to transportation, such as the state motor fuel tax drivers pay at the pump, would be…
Data Points: More jobs, but less transit located outside the city of Chicago- Jul 7, 2016
- There’s no denying that Chicago is the primary job center and economic core of the region. The region’s public transportation system aligns well with that fact: Every major rapid transit line connects to the Loop. But, in the seven-county Chicago region (which covers Cook, DuPage,…
43 minutes for $43 billion—Take part Wednesday, May 18, 2016- May 13, 2016
- Potholes. Crumbling bridges. Slow trains. Slower buses. Illinois, we don't have to put up with this . We need $43 billion over 10 years to fix our transportation infrastructure. We're organizing 43 minutes for $43 billion , starting at 11 a.m. (central) on Wednesday, May 18 . It's 43 minutes…