IDOT road tour comes to DuPage County
The solution to Illinois' transportation budget woes could lie in recapturing some of the tax revenues it gives to other states, Acting IDOT Secretary Randy Blankenhorn said.
His appearance before a crowd Monday in West Chicago was part of a series of "listening sessions" the Illinois Department of Transportation is conducting across the state.
Billions are needed to repair roads and bridges, but Illinois is facing a massive shortfall exacerbated by a Supreme Court ruling Friday that scuttles a supposed solution to a public pension funding crisis.
"If Illinois is the transportation hub of the country, why are we still a donor state? We have to do a lot better," Blankenhorn said.
One audience member advocated switching to a "vehicle miles traveled" model to pay for infrastructure. That method taxes miles people drive instead of a per-gallon tax on gas.
Blankenhorn acknowledged that the gas tax is not a sustainable revenue.
"I'm a user-fee kind of guy," he said. However, Blankenhorn said that it's a complex issue.
"How do you do something that makes sure all beneficiaries pay equally, that it's not just a one-revenue-stream answer?" he asked.
He also emphasized that transportation funding is not just about roads but also involves public transit, a philosophy that found support from residents.
Glen Ellyn resident Ray Campbell, who is visually impaired said, "I can't drive ... I need and people like me need good public transportation."
"It's easy to get to downtown. But people who live in Carol Stream find it difficult to get to jobs in Oak Brook," he said.
Blankenhorn noted the suburb-to-suburb commute is something planners have talked about for years without resolution.
"We haven't solved it yet ... it's something we have to figure out," he said.