Dive Brief:
- Illinois plans to roll out a $50.6 billion, six-year infrastructure program, its largest ever, to fund construction improvements, but President Donald Trump’s administration blocked $2.1 billion in federal funds for Chicago amid Washington’s government shutdown.
- The Illinois initiative, announced by Gov. JB Pritzker Oct. 1, includes $32.5 billion for roads and bridges and $18.1 billion for transit, rail, aviation, ports and waterways, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation. A special $400 million allocation will support 223 local projects, with an emphasis on distressed communities.
- Some of the funding, such as $67.7 million on the Red Line and $72 million on the Canal Street Viaduct, will require participation in U.S. DOT’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program. Those kinds of stipulations prompted President Donald Trump’s administration on Oct. 3 to withhold $2.1 billion from Chicago Transit Authority projects, according to a statement from DOT and a post on X from White House Budget Director Russ Vought.
Dive Insight:
The federal funding freeze affects the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line Extension and the Red and Purple Modernization program, according to DOT’s statement. Last week, DOT issued an interim final rule barring race- and sex-based contracting requirements from federal grants, a key stipulation of the DBE program. The administration said it’s currently reviewing the two CTA projects for potentially violating that rule.
“The American people don’t care what race or gender construction workers, pipefitters, or electricians are,” DOT’s statement said. “They just want these massive projects finally built quickly and efficiently.”
The administration’s move in Chicago follows a similar action in New York to block more than $18 billion in funding for the New York-New Jersey Hudson Tunnel project and the Second Avenue subway extension in Manhattan, Smart Cities Dive reported. The administration said its review of those jobs would take longer due to the current government shutdown as it tries to pressure Democrats to make a deal over a continued funding resolution.
In Illinois, the tug of war over the funds comes at a time when contractors across the state are looking for bidding opportunities. Despite the road block for CTA projects, Pritzker’s announcement said the $400 million of Illinois funding is available through special legislative appropriation, while $5.5 billion has already been identified in the state’s current fiscal year budget.
Backed by the Rebuild Illinois capital program, the multi-year plan expands investment across every county in the state and touches nearly every transportation mode, from highways to pedestrian improvements.
Of Illinois’ $50.6 billion total, $13.8 billion is earmarked for transit projects, with about $205.7 million coming from the federal government. The plan also includes $2.9 billion for rail projects, with about $675 million in federal funding.
The highway component will build or improve 7,107 lane miles of state roads and 8.4 million square feet of bridge deck, with $6.8 billion directed to local governments to cover 1,654 lane miles and 1.3 million square feet of bridge deck.
