Let's get to work on road, other projects

In his State of the Union address, President Obama called on Congress to “redouble our efforts” to repair, modernize and expand the nation's infrastructure through new public resources, and by attracting private investments and making smarter decisions about where and how we invest. It was incredibly encouraging to hear the president send the message that infrastructure is instrumental: It makes our lives and livelihoods possible by delivering vital resources, keeping us safe from disease, getting us where we need and want to go, and connecting us to knowledge, recreation, commerce — and jobs.

The very next day, Illinois received the shocking news that an appellate court had struck down the state's capital construction program and all of its funding sources. The decision is a huge blow to existing infrastructure maintenance and expansion plans across the state, including in metropolitan Chicago.

However, if it's back to the drawing board on a new capital program, let's seize the opportunity to develop statewide transportation investment goals and criteria for selecting projects and identify new sources of innovative financing, including public-private partnerships, congestion pricing and other techniques that can squeeze more capacity from and curb excess traffic congestion on our roads.

Peter Skosey

Vice president

Metropolitan Planning Council

Chicago