Dear Governor Rauner: Make transportation a priority
June 22, 2015
Dear Governor Rauner,
Senate President John Cullerton,
House Speaker Michael Madigan,
Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno and
House Republican Leader Jim Durkin:
Among the pressing issues facing the State of Illinois this year, Accelerate Illinois is calling on you to make our transportation network a priority. Our state’s road, rail and transit system is among our strongest assets—a way to attract business and provide a high quality of life to residents—and we must dedicate reliable funding toward its upkeep. For the last 20 years we’ve been investing less and less in transportation—less than eight percent of our budget in 2014, compared to 13 percent in 1991—and the results are obvious.
The Illinois Dept. of Transportation (IDOT) reports that one out of five roads is in unacceptable condition today, and we’ve all heard about the D+ grade from the American Society of Civil Engineers. IDOT’s multi-year plan anticipates spending $200 million less than last year, and $1.1 billion less than the year before. With this downward spiral, nearly 40 percent of our roads will be unacceptable by 2020.
Our problem is better measured, however, by how it affects us. Bad traffic or a delayed train might make us late for a meeting. A delivery truck might suffer a broken axle after bouncing through a pothole. A poll conducted by Accelerate Illinois shows that half of Illinoisans are frustrated by issues like this on a daily basis, and more than 80 percent of us deal with them weekly. These individual nuisances are adding up to be a serious problem for our families and businesses. Without action, they will only continue to become more frequent.
Delaying investment makes it ultimately more expensive to return our infrastructure to a state of good repair. As we dawdle, we fall behind other states: In the last three years, 21 states have acted to raise or dedicate new transportation revenue, including our immediate neighbors. In 2015, both Iowa and Kentucky passed bills to invest more in transportation. Last year, Wisconsin amended its constitution to protect and dedicate its road fund.
Illinois faces considerable financial obstacles, but continuing to starve transportation is not fiscally responsible. Creating a steady, consistent source of transportation funding will allow us to make the repairs we need today and plan sensible, efficient improvements for our future. On behalf of the members of the Accelerate Illinois coalition, we implore you to work together to make reliable, dedicated transportation funding a priority this summer.
Sincerely,
Abraham Scarr
Director
Illinois Public Interest Research Group
Bill Raben
Chairman, Board of Directors
Illinois Soybean Association
Peter Skosey
Executive Vice President
Metropolitan Planning Council
Paul C. Carlisle
Executive Vice President
Wintrust Financial Corporation