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reauthorization bill.
But the reality is this: Illinois and Missouri delegations continue to work toward securing discretionary federal funding
for the new Mississippi River Bridge Project and remain hopeful they will succeed.
Among those championing efforts to lobby Congress for federal bridge dollars are Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois
Executive Director Jim Pennekamp and Illinois Department of Transportation District 8 Engineer Mary Lamie.
"The one thing that needs to be said, from our perspective, is that communication between all parties involved is extremely
important at this point for the project to proceed," Pennekamp said. "Both the Missouri and Illinois delegations remain
supportive. We understand how large a challenge this particular project is, but at this point in time, we remain optimistic
that the project will move forward in the new federal transportation act."
He clarified that no one is expecting the $1.3 billion to come entirely in federal dollars, and that the strategies of the
delegation reflect that.
"We were never seeking full federal funding for this project," Pennekamp said. "The construction of the bridge is going to
take 10 years, and the dollars will have to flow over that period of time. The federal transportation bill we're looking at
now is a six-year bill. The key to moving forward is to secure enough funding so we can actually begin construction on
segments of the project."
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Lamie said the scope of the entire MRB Project actually includes seven major transportation projects, of which one is the
bridge itself.
The tri-level interchange proposed on the Illinois side - linking Interstates 55, 70 and 64 - is not included in the $1.3
billion.
"$1.3 billion is the total unfunded portion of the entire project," Lamie said. "That's the amount we're looking for in
federal funding. We would like to get the full $1.3 billion, but if what we receive in federal dollars is less than that, we
will determine which portions of the entire project we are able to begin…and Missouri and Illinois will continue to work hard
at creating a means of funding the balance over the next six years."
Lamie stressed that the federal dollars being sought in Washington are funds from the next federal transportation bill and
are above the allotment each state receives. "Securing federal dollars will not compete with the federal funding being given
to the states on their own state-determined priority projects," she said.
In addition to the new bridge itself, the other six projects in the MRB Project are: the I-70 connector on the Illinois
side; the relocation of Route 3 in Illinois; the I-64 connector on the Illinois side; the reconstruction of the ramps
approaching the Poplar Street Bridge; the I-55/64/70 interchange in East St. Louis; and the I-70 interchange in Missouri.
editor/publisher: Kerry Smith
email: ksmith@ibjonline.com
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