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Foster Announces 11th Congressional District Transportation Projects Included in INVEST in America Act

June 8, 2021

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) announced that the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee has selected eight 11th District transportation projects submitted for funding consideration as part of the Committee's Member-designated project initiative. The projects have been included in the committee's INVEST in America Act – comprehensive surface transportation legislation to modernize roads, bridges, transit, rail and more. The legislation must still be approved by both the House and Senate and signed by the President before funding is final.

"Delivering federal resources to the 11th District will always be one of my top priorities, and funding for important transportation and infrastructure projects is no exception," Foster said. "I'm proud that the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has selected the 11th District projects that I submitted for consideration. It's beyond time we make critical investments in the local transportation infrastructure that our communities rely on every day."

Under the new program for FY2022, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has allowed Members of Congress to request direct funding for transportation and infrastructure projects that would benefit the communities they represent. Selection guidelines include stringent eligibility, ethics, and transparency requirements. Members who submit a project request must also post the request online to their official House.gov website. The Committee will also post all Member submissions to the Committee website.

The eight projects selected for the 11th Congressional District are:

(Listed in no particular order)

Weber Road Reconstruction –135th Street to Airport Road

Sponsor: Will County

Amount requested: Foster $1,000,000/Newman $1,100,000

Project description

Sponsored by Will County, this project is designed to improve local traffic congestion by reconstructing two miles of roadway with a six-lane divided highway of Weber Road. The additional capacity created by this project will accommodate projected traffic volumes, including improving access for trucks that are generated by the industrial development on Taylor Road. Traffic in the project area is expected to increase almost 62 percent by 2050, up to 53,000 average daily traffic (ADT), including 5,300 trucks. This project's submission was coordinated with Congresswoman Marie Newman (IL-3), as the project spans both districts.

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143rd Street East Extension – IL Route 59 to IL Route 126

Sponsor: Village of Plainfield

Amount requested: Foster $3,700,000/Underwood $2,500,000

Project description

The 143rd Street East Extension is part of a regional improvement to increase mobility in the greater Plainfield area. The project is a component of a larger corridor level improvement which provides the missing links along 143rd Street from Ridge Road to IL 126. The improved corridor consists of a roadway extension from IL 59 to IL 126 (143rd Street East Extension) and a second roadway extension to the west from Ridge Road to Steiner Road (143rd Street West Extension). Inclusive growth is achieved as part of the 143rd Street East Extension by increasing the efficiency of public transportation through Pace's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system along I-55. Pace has already completed a $5,000,000 Park-n-Ride facility with over 600 parking stalls adjacent to the 143rd Street corridor in anticipation of increased ridership and routes within the region. Additionally, Pace is constructing a $50,000,000 regional bus garage and maintenance facility next to the Park-n-Ride facility to support its growth in the area. Providing additional public transportation options within the region will result in more choices for commuters while decreasing the burden on existing facilities. This project's submission was coordinated with Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14), as the project spans both districts.

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Wolf's Crossing at Douglas Road

Sponsor: Village of Oswego

Amount requested: Foster $3,616,500/Underwood $1,205,000

Project description

The project includes the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Wolf's Crossing and Douglas Road, widening of Wolf's Crossing to two lanes in each direction, drainage improvements, sidewalk and path, street lighting, and other appurtenances. The purpose of this project is to enhance safety, reduce traffic congestion, improve mobility and operations, and enhance non‐motorized mobility along Wolf's Crossing Road from US 34 to Eola Road/Heggs Road, of which this intersection is but one segment. In addition to serving the motoring public, the proposed improvement will serve the existing and future needs of the adjacent residential and commercial developments while minimizing social, economic, and environmental impacts. The project is needed based on the corridor crash history, capacity analysis of existing traffic data, the mobility and operations on the corridor, and projected future traffic demand. This project's submission was coordinated with Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14), as the project spans both districts.

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Reconstruction of E. New York Street - North Farnsworth Ave to Welsh Drive

Sponsor: City of Aurora

Amount requested: $1,138,300

Project description

The project consists of reconstructing E. New York Street from east of Farnsworth Ave to west of Welsh Drive. The 4-lane asphalt pavement will be reconstructed to a five-lane concrete pavement. The roadway includes a 16' barrier median with grass interior, including a center turn lane at intersections and major entrances. Drainage will be accommodated via a new storm sewer system. A sidewalk will be constructed along the north side of the roadway and a shared use path along the south side. The project also includes water main, street lighting and landscaping. This project is needed to increase substandard lane widths, convert an open drainage system to a closed system, and to upgrade a roadway with various substandard elements. Completing this project will allow East New York Street to safely and efficiently accommodate existing & future traffic volumes, and will spur development along the corridor that is located within a low to moderate income census tract.

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75th Street – Millbrook Drive to Greene Road

Sponsor: DuPage County

Amount requested: $648,560

Project description

This project addresses four identified high accident intersections along 75th Street. These intersections experience both high crash volumes and high severity. Additionally, each of these locations is adjacent to the Southern DuPage Regional Trail, a vital multi-modal facility running along 75th Street. The scope of work is traffic signal modernization, changing the left turn phasing from permitted-protected to protected only, adding right turn lanes, and ADA improvements at each crosswalk. This improvement will help mitigate the most frequent and severe crashes.

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Gougar Road Reconstruction - Laraway Road to Francis Road

Sponsor: Will County

Amount requested: $2,700,00

Project description

Reconstruction of 3.25 miles of two-lane roadway with a four-lane, barrier median-separated highway. Gougar Road serves a unique mix of land uses with residential areas on both the north and south ends, two high schools, churches, a business park, parks, and a forest preserve. Gougar Road is a Class II truck route. The project will be constructed in two sections with the section between Laraway and Haven (just south of I-80) being constructed first per the timeline below, and the section from Haven to Francis being constructed just beyond the current five-year county program.

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Hobson Road/63rd Street – Woodridge Drive to Janes Avenue

Sponsor: DuPage County

Amount requested: $490,000

Project description

The Hobson Road 63rd Street sidewalk project will consist of the installation of concrete sidewalks, including pedestrian push buttons at each signalized intersection, ADA-compliant handicap ramps and crosswalk pavement marking. The project will provide pedestrian accessibility between commercial and public recreational facilities and residential areas throughout the project limits, thereby providing an economic benefit as well as providing a needed intermodal transportation option to the community. Upgrades to intersection traffic signals, crosswalks and the creation of ADA-compliant sidewalk handicap ramps will ensure safe pedestrian travel throughout the project limits.

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Metra Zero Emissions Pilot

Amount requested from Rep. Foster: $5,000,000

Total Amount Requested: $ 20,000,000 - 25,000,000*

*Note: Multiple members split the submission for this request.

Project description

Metra is seeking funding to pilot and expand zero emission locomotives on its network and to build out charging infrastructure. Metra is currently in the process of procuring clean locomotives on the Rock Island line. The pilot will promote cleaner air quality and decreased noise pollution in the region. The pilot deployment would improve air quality in historically disadvantaged areas of Cook County and surrounding jurisdictions, reduce Metra's dependence on fossil fuels, and modernize its rolling stock fleet. The funding received would assist in the design and engineering of clean locomotives, support the build-out of charging infrastructure, and support the purchase of zero emission rolling stock. This project's submission was coordinated with Congressman Bradley Schneider (IL-10), Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-8), Congressman Bobby Rush (IL-1), and Congressman Danny Davis (IL-7).