Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce

          GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS ------------ Report     July 12th, 2024    This Week in Illinois   President & CEO Sandoval Testifies in Senate Transportation Committee Hearing on Mass Transit and the Economy   On Tuesday, the first of at least six hearings on public transit was held at the Bilandic Building in Chicago. There is an anticipated funding gap that will arise for regional transit in 2026 after COVID-related federal funding has been exhausted. The budget deficit is projected to be $730 million to return to pre-pandemic service levels. This first Senate Transportation Committee hearing was on how transit supports the economy.   The series of hea

  IDOT awarded $1.2 million to study express bus service between Bloomington-Normal and Peoria Grant via U.S. Department of Transportation’s RAISE Program July 2, 2024 SPRINGFIELD  – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today it has been awarded $1.2 million to study the feasibility of adding express bus service to Interstate 74 between Bloomington-Normal and Peoria. The study, which is expected to start in late 2025 and take two years to complete, will explore the potential route, frequency, schedule and cost of connecting multiple cities and towns as well as businesses and institutions. “Since I became governor, my administration has worked tirelessly to improve the quality and efficiency of our transportation system across Illinois,”  said Gov. JB Pritzker . “With this $1.2 million award, IDOT will be able to effectively study bus service options between Bloomington-Normal and Peoria to meet the various needs of residents throughout the region.” The study fits into ID