Less traffic congestion in Kane County may hinge on capital bill
It's been almost a decade since Illinois had a capital improvements program, so it's no coincidence that's about as long as residents near the Route 47 and I-90 interchange in Kane County have waited for better traffic flow.
About 26 percent of the funding for the $67 million project is tied to funds promised by the Illinois Department of Transportation. That $17.4 million promise only pays off if the Illinois General Assembly passes a capital bill for the first time in Gov. Rod Blagojevich's tenure. No capital bill, no interchange improvements and the expected business growth that would come with it.
Currently, drivers can get on and off I-90 at Route 47 from the east but not from the west. The interchange expansion would fix that.
A recently inked letter of agreement between the county and IDOT ensures the project would be included in a capital bill. There's several other county projects that need help from a capital bill including: Anderson Road improvements in Elburn; improvements on Routes 25 and 31 included in the Stearns Road Corridor project; and funding for the Longmeadow Parkway to create more access across the Fox River.
Kane County Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Wyatt said there's never been a better time for a capital bill, but he's still pessimistic about political gridlock in Springfield.
"They all say, 'Oh, we'd love to have a capital bill,' but it never seems to happen," Wyatt said. "To me, it's just of paramount importance, and we've been saying that for several years now. Without it, I don't know when our number will be called again to the same extent that we have a chance to recapture federal funds as we do now. The need keeps increasing, but so does the cost of building."
The good news is the county's lobbyist, Frank Cortese, told Wyatt and other transportation officials that the new state senate leadership has promised support of a capital bill, removing a major obstacle up to this point.
Also clearing the way may be some good political timing.
Blagojevich is up for re-election in 2010. A list of capital improvements that make the lives of commuters easier could go a long way in rejuvenating plummeting opinion polls of the governor.
The key obstacle is finding money to fund a capital bill. The state budget is billions of dollars in the red, and a slow economy has even tempered the revenue expectations of awarding the 10th casino license.
But there's another new trump card the state hasn't had to play yet. President-elect Barack Obama hinted at a plan to "put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges" in a recent Democrat radio address. Illinois would be almost forced to create a capital bill at that point to capture the federal dollars and jobs created by such a plan.
• Daily Herald Staff Writer John Patterson contributed to this report