Wilcox Reports

From Statr Senator Craig Wilcox:

Senate Weeks in Review: Oct. 14 – 25, 2019

The Senate side of the Illinois State Capitol.

McHenry, IL – The Capitol is getting ready for the return of the Legislature for the upcoming fall veto session, during which lawmakers generally take actions on bills vetoed by the Governor, the Illinois Department of Transportation unveiled an ambitious $23.5 billion transportation construction and Illinois’ opioid abuse crisis is the focus of a special Senate Committee.

Meanwhile, we held successful local events including a Property Tax seminar October 15 and Medicare seminars October 22 and 24. Plus, the state improves educational opportunities for both students and teachers.

Veto Session 2019

The first week of the two-week fall Veto Session starts Monday, October 28. There are a total of eight legislative measures, which received total or partial vetoes by the Governor following the spring legislative session. Those issues include the Affordable Care Act, education and gambling. Senators and Representatives could be asked to consider a significant pension proposal during the Veto Session, which begins October 28.

The second week of Veto Session is scheduled for Nov. 12-14.

Because there are so few bills on the agenda, there is the possibility new issues could be raised. One issue that has been mentioned is a proposal to consolidate local police and fire fighter pension plans. The plan from the Governor’s office would affect 650 suburban and downstate pensions. However, no specific legislation has been filed as of the date of this report.

Billions for roads and bridges

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) took the wraps off a multi-year, $23.5 billion transportation construction program Oct. 21 that proposes to spend more than $3.7 billion in the current fiscal year alone. The six-year plan includes projects worth more than $300 million for the 32nd Senate District.

Local projects on the 2020 Fiscal Year list include:

·         $10.96 million – Miscellaneous improvements to Grant Highway (U.S. Route 20) at West Union Road and at Coral Road; at the creek, a half-mile west of Beck Road and; Marengo-Beck Road at South Union Road. Improvements include channelization, culvert replacement, and construction engineering and intersection reconstruction.

·         $10.35 – Land acquisition along Seminary Street (Illinois Route 47) from north of McHenry Avenue (Illinois Route 120) to U.S. Route 14 in Woodstock; road rehabilitation on Main Street (Illinois Route 47) in Hebron, from State Line Road to Maple Avenue (Illinois Route 173). Improvements include standard road overlay, new shoulders, ADA improvements and a milled rumble strip and; plan preparation on Illinois Routes 47 and 176, from U.S. Route 14 to south of Illinois Route 176 in Woodstock.

·         $8.5 million – Initial construction of pavements for a new interchange on Illinois Route 123 at Interstate 90 (Jane Addams Memorial Tollway).

·         $4.08million – Land acquisition along Illinois Routes 47 and 176 at the North & South Junction (Illinois Route 176) and at Pleasant Valley Road; land acquisition on Illinois Route 176 from Deerpass Road to Dean Street and; plan preparation along Illinois Routes 47 and 176 from south of Illinois Route 176 to Reed Road in Lakewood.

·         $3.5 million – Intersection improvements and traffic signal installation on Illinois Route 176 at Haligus Road at Mt. Tabor Road in Crystal Lake.

·         $3.22 million – Road preservation on Elm Street (Illinois Route 120), from Illinois Route 47 to Martin Road in McHenry and Woodstock. Improvements include standard road overlay, ADA improvements, a milled rumble strip and drainage.

·         $3.45 million – Plan preparation, preliminary engineering and surveys on Front Street (Illinois Route 31) from south of Belvidere Road (Illinois Route 120) to north of Terra Cotta Avenue (Illinois Route 176) and drainage ditch, four miles south of US. Route 12. The project affects the communities of McHenry, Prairie Grove, Crystal Lake and Ringwood and; road preservation on Illinois Route 31 from Shamrock Lane to north of Edgewood Road in McHenry and Prairie Grove. Improvements include standard road overlay, new shoulders and a milled rumble strip.

·         $1.44 million – Rehabilitation of two miles of pavement on Main Street (U.S. Route 12) in Richmond from Kenosha Street (Illinois Route 173) to Tryon Grove Road.

·         $500,000 – Construction engineering on Grand Avenue (Illinois Route 132) from Munn Road to Deerpass Drive in Lindenhurst.

A detailed look at all of the projects on the six-year plan and a road map can be found at http://www.idot.illinois.gov/Assets/uploads/files/Transportation-System/Reports/OP&P/HIP/2020-2025/ilsenate/sdist32.pdf


Comments

Wilcox Reports — 3 Comments

  1. Guess which McH Co. politicos own some of this property? And they bought it for peanuts only a few months ago?

    “$4.08million – Land acquisition along Illinois Routes 47 and 176 at the North & South Junction (Illinois Route 176) and at Pleasant Valley Road; land acquisition on Illinois Route 176 from Deerpass Road to Dean Street and; plan preparation along Illinois Routes 47 and 176 from south of Illinois Route 176 to Reed Road in Lakewood.”

  2. All to be done on OUR TAX $$ get ready to start riding china scooters as the GAS prices rise up…

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