Illinois organization sets goals for state’s infrastructure fixes

The Transportation for Illinois Coalition (TFIC) is pushing for state legislators to provide about $1.8 billion per year in investments for the state of Illinois’ infrastructure and to fix roads, bridges, rail systems and airports.

According to TFIC, the $1.8 billion in annual revenue would fund both pay-as-you-go spending and a bonding program that would get the state’s roads to 90 percent acceptable condition and 93 percent acceptable condition for bridges.

Eighty percent of funding would support roads, bridges and airports, and 20 percent would support transit needs, according to a press release. Sixty percent of the road and bridge funding would support the state’s network, while 40 percent goes to local roads.

TFIC says this increase would be the first in local funding since 1999 for Illinois. Revenues would stem from all state sales tax revenue from motor fuel; ending the ethanol credit for gasoline; increasing the state motor fuel tax on gasoline by 4 cents per gallon; increasing the state motor fuel tax on diesel by 7 cents per gallon; raising the motor vehicle registration fee; reprioritizing spending out of road funds that now support other government services; and creating a state sales tax on some driver-related services, such as auto repair and oil changes.