Article updated: 2/8/2013 6:45 PM

Cabinet member’s letter, not law, key to roadwork

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The $1.5 billion supplemental appropriation bill Gov. Pat Quinn signed Thursday includes a $675 million addition of highway and bridge construction this spring.

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Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration says that when it comes to a boost in road construction this spring, follow the letter, not the law. A new law signed by the governor allows as much as $176 million to be taken out of a road construction fund. But in a letter to a top Senate Democrat, Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider promises not to divert that much money from a $675 million plan for highway and bridge construction projects this year.