Kendall County Times

Illinois State Rep. Jed Davis (R-Newark) recently shared information on the six-year plan unveiled by the Illinois Department of Transportation to improve the state's infrastructure.

"The Illinois Department of Transportation unveiled a plan on Friday for spending nearly $41 billion in federal, state and local funds over the next six years to repair and upgrade roads, bridges, airports, rail lines and other infrastructure throughout the state," Davis wrote in a July 10 Facebook post.

In his Facebook post, Rep. Davis shared a link to a Capitol News Illinois article on the 6-year, nearly $41 billion plan, the largest multiyear plan in the history of the state. “More than half of the plan, $27 billion, will go toward road and bridge projects, including $4.6 billion in the current fiscal year, Capitol News reported. "That will fund repair and reconstruction of 2,866 miles of roadway and 9.8 million square feet of bridge deck on the state highway system, along with another 738 miles of roadway and 1.1 million square feet of bridge deck in systems maintained by local governments.”

A program overview of the FY 24-29 multimodal, multi-year program breaks down the spending further. The funding will go to “almost 60 transit providers, nearly 80 public airports, 7 major railroads, and 19 public ports,” the program overview says. It breaks down to $9.85 billion for transit, for 44 projects; $2.67 billion for 27 rail projects; $1.25 billion for 334 air projects; and $185.8 million for 30 port projects.

Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the program in a July 7 press release. “Over the next six years, we're investing over $40 billion to improve all modes of transportation across our great state. That means better roads and bridges, modernized transit and aviation, and expanded and faster passenger rail service. Rebuild Illinois has increased safety, efficiency, and opportunities for residents all over the state — and over the next few years, we will keep building on that progress, with all 102 counties of Illinois included in the multi-year program,” Pritzker said in the press release.

Davis, 43, is the board president at Parkview Christian Academy in Yorkville. He's a regional manager with National Oilwell Varco and has been a Newark village trustee since 2013. He graduated from Valparaiso University in 2000, his bio page says.