Duckworth and Durbin Announce Illinois Set to Receive More than $15 Billion if Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal Becomes Law

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today highlighted more than $15 billion in dedicated funding for Illinois infrastructure projects included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as well as billions more the state is eligible to compete for. This bipartisan infrastructure deal, which passed the Senate yesterday, would invest approximately $1.2 trillion in federal resources over the next five years, including $567.4 billion in new infrastructure spending and $93.5 billion in additional funding authorizations.

“This Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal makes significant and substantial investments in our public health, global competitiveness and economic prosperity by rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, expanding access to critical broadband services for students and working families and upgrading our nation’s water systems,” Duckworth said. “Illinoisans know how critical this funding is to communities all across the state, and I will do everything I can to ensure this compromise is signed into law to support good-paying jobs for hardworking families throughout Illinois.”

“Illinoisans have come to my office for years asking when we’d get around to passing an infrastructure bill. We have finally reached that moment in the Senate. This bipartisan bill makes once-in-a-generation investments in public transit, passenger rail, drinking and waste water, broadband, and roads and bridges. It also expands electric vehicle infrastructure and battery research to help usher in an era of zero-emission vehicles. Illinoisans from Chicago to Cairo will see the tangible impacts of this bill and the jobs it will create,” Durbin said.

Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Illinois could expect:

• Roads and bridges: $9.8 billion for federal-aid highway apportioned programs and $1.4 billion for bridge replacement and repairs. The state will be eligible for billions more in competitive grant programs.
• Public transportation: $4 billion over five years to improve public transportation options across the state.

• Broadband: A minimum allocation of $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across the state, including providing access to the at least 228,000 Illinoisans who currently lack it. 2,926,000 Illinoisans, or 23 percent, will be eligible for the Affordability Connectivity Benefit, which will help low-income families afford internet access.
• Electric vehicles: $149 million over five years to support the expansion of an electric vehicle (EV) charging network in the state. Illinois is eligible for $2.5 billion in competitive EV charging grants.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act also fully authorizes Duckworth’s bipartisan Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act (DWWIA), which would help rebuild our nation’s crumbling and dangerous water infrastructure, and includes a modified version of her All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) Act to help make transit stations more accessible.

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