Prairie State Wire

Illinois Department of Transportation issued the following announcement on July 16.

The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced a state commitment of $1.55 million to leverage a total investment of $31 million for airport improvements in Quincy, Rockford and Champaign-Urbana. The commitment by the state will improve safety and boost capacity while furthering IDOT's mission to build and maintain a multimodal transportation network that provides safe, reliable service for all of Illinois.

"Illinois is a transportation hub for the nation and our airports serve as key economic engines for regions across the state," said Governor JB Pritzker. "This investment will bring tens of millions of dollars to Rockford, Quincy and Willard as we work to improve and expand our local airports. After years of disinvestment, my administration is committed to investing in our infrastructure and creating jobs in every corner of Illinois."

"Under the leadership of Gov. Pritzker, IDOT is investing in communities by rebuilding infrastructure across all modes throughout the state," said Acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. "This latest commitment will only strengthen the important role that aviation plays in Illinois."

The following airports are set to receive funding through IDOT's Division of Aeronautics:

• Quincy Regional Airport: $9 million federal, $500,000 state match, $500,000 local match for runway reconstruction.
• Chicago Rockford International Airport: $9 million federal, $500,000 state match, $500,000 local match for apron construction.
• University of Illinois - Willard Airport: $9.9 million federal, $550,000 state match, $550,000 local match for runway reconstruction.

The projects are made possible by $27.9 million in supplemental discretionary funding through the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Program, with IDOT providing the matching funds to maximize the funding opportunity and accelerate construction.

The Illinois aviation system consists of more than 825 landing facilities, including commercial, reliever and general aviation airports, private landing areas and hospital heliports. The Division of Aeronautics helps to oversee all matters involving the development of any public air navigation facility, administering federal funding and annually managing between 100 and 120 grants totaling approximately $250 million.

Original source can be found here.