Kane County Reporter

Illinois recently got a C-minus on an infrastructure report card by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

“While Illinois’ grade remains a C-minus, the needle is moving up following new investments from the 2019 ReBuild Illinois Capital Bill,” Sen. Don DeWitte (R-West Dundee) posted on Facebook. “And always a pleasure to work with my friend and colleague Transportation Chair Ram Villivalam, and the Secretary of Transportation Omer Osman.”

ASCE wrote everyone uses some form of infrastructures, such as drinking water, roads and buildings.

On April 28, the Illinois Section of ASCE issued its 2022 Infrastructure Report Card, rating Illinois an overall C-minus. The score is based on 11 categories, on 6 of which Illinois scored ‘mediocre’ and on five of which Illinois scored ‘poor.’

“ASCE Illinois has developed a reputable rating system that uses professional engineering metrics against the condition of our state’s significant infrastructure systems that include multi-modal transportation, public utilities, and inland waterway assets and facilities,” said DeWitte, who serves as the minority spokesperson of the Senate Transportation Committee. “While this year’s grade of C-minus maintains the overall system grade carrying over from 2018, the needle is moving up, resulting from significant financial investments made by the Illinois legislature through the 2019 Rebuild Illinois Capital investment program. These investments are showing positive progress in the areas of roads, bridges, air, and rail systems in Illinois, that not only bring these long-delayed improvements into safer states of good repair but will maintain these foundational infrastructure investments for further expansion and system upgrades, to maintain Illinois’ status as the transportation hub of the nation.”

Criteria used to rate infrastructure were based on metrics including condition, funding, public safety and resilience. The ASCE noted that Illinois has improved in some important categories in recent years, including roads and transit. 

“Every person in Illinois relies on infrastructure every day – from brushing our teeth, taking the train to work or going to the grocery store — infrastructure is the backbone of our daily lives and communities,” Andrew Walton, president of ASCE-Illinois Section, said. “Bipartisan collaboration resulting in Rebuild Illinois and the federal infrastructure bill signals a new era for our state’s built environment, and this report card demonstrates how proper and consistent funding can ultimately produce more jobs, safer communities and more money in taxpayers’ wallets.”

The state has worked toward improving its infrastructure.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Rebuild Illinois into law in June 2019. It aims to tackle infrastructure improvements from transportation to school facilities, the Illinois Economic Policy Institute reported. Rebuild Illinois is a capital bill that will invest in the state's infrastructure over several years.

The Illinois Department of Transportation reported Rebuild Illinois allocated $44.8 billion over six years toward eight areas of infrastructure.

Funding for the Rebuild Illinois Bill comes partially from transportation-related fees and rate increases, such as Pritzker's doubling of the motor fuel tax in 2019. Combined with other fee increases, such as the $100 increase in truck registration fees, those measures will generate approximately $1.9 billion in revenue each year.