HR0371 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0371 LRB103 32976 LAW 62783 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, There are over 12,000 bridges under the jurisdiction of over 1,400 townships in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, There are numerous other stream, creek, lake, road, or other crossings that are currently under 20 feet in width, and therefore not identified as bridges, but still need to be replaced with new bridges to meet the needs of the Township Road System; and

WHEREAS, The Township Bridge Program (TBP) is a legislated fund, under 605 ILCS 5/6-901, designated for the construction and maintenance of bridges on the Township Highway System; and

WHEREAS, The TBP was initiated in 1979 with an annual allocation of $15 million from the Illinois Road Fund and has received no increase in funding level in the 43 years since it was established; meanwhile, the Illinois Road Fund has seen an increase in revenue of over 400% over the same duration; and

WHEREAS, The Engineering News Record Construction Cost Index has increased over 300% since initiation of the TBP; hence, $15 million from 1980 would equate to a TBP appropriation of $3.69 million today or a loss of 75% of the program's purchasing power; and

WHEREAS, The TBP resulted in the number of deficient township bridges being reduced from 6,063 to 1,624 over the past 43 years, and the average life span of a township bridge is approximately 55 years; therefore, the bridges constructed during the infancy of TBP will need to be replaced over the next 10 years; and

WHEREAS, Township bridges account for the largest number of load and width restrictions present within the transportation network of the State of Illinois, thereby negatively impacting the ability to transport agricultural and industrial goods and equipment throughout the State; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge Illinois to increase support for the Township Bridge Program (TBP) to ensure the reliability and safety of township bridges; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to Governor JB Pritzker.