March 05, 2020

After Record Flooding, Duckworth, Durbin Announce Over $4 Million for Emergency Transportation Relief in Illinois

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $4,101,186 in federal funding to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for transportation infrastructure repairs after heavy rains and flooding in Illinois last spring. These investments come through the Office of Federal Lands Highway’s Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads (ERFO) program. The ERFO program provides funding to help restore facilities to their pre-disaster conditions and offset unusually heavy expenses for repairs.

“These investments will go a long way to repair Illinois’s transportation infrastructure and support communities impacted by severe weather,” said Duckworth. “Flooding across our state last year devastated so many families and communities. I’m proud Senator Durbin and I continue working to bring the federal resources necessary to restore affected communities and boost local economies.”

“I’ve seen firsthand the negative effects last year’s flooding had on Illinois’ infrastructure. I’m pleased this federal funding will go to support the restoration of highways and federal lands that have been damaged by severe weather,” Durbin said. “Senator Duckworth and I will continue fighting for investments in our transportation infrastructure that revitalizes communities and spurs growth.”

Under this announcement, the Illinois Department of Transportation will receive $3,767,686, after heavy rains and flooding last year. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will receive $200,000 and $133,500, respectively, after last year’s heavy flooding in Illinois. The ERFO program provides funding to help federal lands transportation facilities and federally-owned roads that are open to public travel, recover after experiencing serious damage by a natural disaster. The Office of Federal Lands Highway falls under the Federal Highway Administration.

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