Illinois’ infrastructure investments have made progress, but the job isn’t done
Illinois’ historic investments in infrastructure are now paying real dividends — but the work is far from over.
In 2019, lawmakers passed Rebuild Illinois, the largest capital program in state history. The bipartisan law modernized fuel taxes and fees for the first time in three decades and authorized billions of dollars in bonds for transportation projects. The goal was straightforward: Fix the roads, bridges, and other public infrastructure that had been crumbling.
The Illinois Economic Policy Institute will soon release a comprehensive look at the economic impacts of the first six years of these investments. A lot has happened, and here are just a few of the toplines.
More than $31 billion was invested in transportation infrastructure from 2020 through 2025. Industry standard analysis shows that spending boosted Illinois’ economy by more than $9 billion — returning $2 for every dollar invested — and created 39,000 jobs annually. From Chicago to Carbondale to the Quad Cities, the benefits of Rebuild Illinois have been felt in every corner of the state, generating $169 million new local tax revenues each year. More than half of all new jobs were in construction, and the Registered Apprenticeship system that attaches new workers to these high-paying, in-demand careers has expanded by 28%.
On the ground, improvements are visible. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has completed work on more than 23,000 lane miles of roadway and made 1,400 safety improvements. The number of road miles rated in “excellent” condition have increased while those in “poor” condition have declined.
The data also tells a sobering story about the true depth of the infrastructure deficit that accumulated over decades of underfunding and neglect. Thousands of highway miles are still in disrepair. Bridge infrastructure remains a major concern, with nearly 10% of bridges in poor condition — placing Illinois 39th nationally.
In other words, while Rebuild Illinois has made meaningful progress, it has not solved every problem.
IDOT acknowledged in a 2023 report that more than $2 billion would be required to fully address infrastructure backlogs. Meeting this challenge won’t just demand political will, it will mean ensuring our funding models and investment priorities match the realities of today’s transportation economy.
The fuel price spikes resulting from the war in Iran, for example have led some to call for suspending the motor fuel tax (MFT), and state lawmakers took the step of pausing the annual inflationary adjustment of the MFT as part of their recent budget agreement. Longer-term, the gas tax faces growing pressure from improved fuel efficiency and electric vehicle adoption, with high-income residents driving $58,000 Teslas partially subsidized by working families who can’t afford those cars. A previous Illinois Economic Policy Institute study estimated that these trends could reduce statewide transportation revenue by $4 billion over 10 years.
Similarly, the Illinois Tollway has some of the lowest toll rates in the country. Ranking 17th out of 24 systems, tolls for passenger vehicles had not changed since 2012, despite rapid inflation. This would almost certainly have invited an infrastructure backslide, if not for last year’s transit funding agreement that updates toll rates and stabilizes funding for future maintenance projects while ensuring the Illinois Tollway will continue to have lower rates than most peer systems.
The stakes are high for motorists, commuters, and taxpayers. Bad roads cost Illinois drivers money in extra vehicle repairs and wasted fuel. Congested toll roads mean lost time for workers and reduced productivity for businesses. Unsafe bridges put lives at risk. And every dollar of deferred maintenance today becomes multiple dollars of reconstruction costs tomorrow.
In its recent transit funding agreement, Illinois has shown a bipartisan willingness to build on what it has already accomplished with Rebuild Illinois. Long term, the state will need to find ways to sustain current investment levels and modernize these systems to accommodate future growth. Rebuild Illinois has proven that when the state comes together in a bipartisan effort, historic investments can be transformative for jobs and our economy.
The data is clear that investments have been effective at delivering better transportation infrastructure across the state. The challenge now is to make sure that Illinois doesn’t repeat the mistakes of the past by letting these gains slip away.
• Frank Manzo IV is an economist at the nonpartisan Illinois Economic Policy Institute.