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Brandon Road Interbasin Project Update
On Tuesday, I attended a meeting hosted by the American Waterway Operators (AWO) on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project with updates from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). For those unfamiliar, the project is a complex ecosystem protection effort designed to prevent upstream movement of invasive carp and other aquatic nuisance species into the Great Lakes from the Illinois Waterway.
When I attended Project Industry Day in November, industry members presented concerns of crew and equipment safety as well as concerns of river access restrictions and delays. These concerns are shared for both the construction process and once the project is completed.
During Tuesday's meeting, IDNR Office of Water Resources Director, Loren Wobig said that the State of Illinois and the Corps of Engineers are not seeing "eye to eye" on several terms of the project partnership agreement. Some of the disagreements are on indemnification matters, incremental implementation, real estate and state permitting. The State continues to have conversations with Corps leadership and members of Congress to reach a resolution. As the project partnership agreement is not yet signed, elements of design can continue on the project but construction cannot begin.
In Late March, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that the cost for the Brandon Road Lock and Dam project is up to $1.146 billion. Original estimates in 2019 placed the cost at $1.014 billion. As the non-federal Sponsor, Governor Pritzker has requested a $50 million appropriation and the Governor of Michigan has requested $64 million to help cover project costs. The project cost estimate of $1.146 billion doesn't include additional real estate or additional mitigation requirements that may arise.
View the preliminary project schedule and more information here.
Springfield Rail Improvements Project
On Wednesday, Governor Pritzker joined the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and other state and local officials to celebrate the start of construction on new $68.3 million underpasses at Madison and Jefferson Streets in Springfield. Madison and Jefferson Streets will be closed between 9th and 11th Streets for an estimated 14 months, weather permitting, with a detour posted. The project consists of lowering Madison and Jefferson Streets and building new railroad bridges to create a set of double tracks for the existing Norfolk Southern Railroad, as well as the proposed Union Pacific Railroad and Amtrak lines.
Funding for the improvements comes from $13.5 million via the Federal Railroad Administration, $30.9 million from the Illinois Commerce Commission and $23.9 million from IDOT, including $7.4 million through Rebuild Illinois.
A cooperative venture of IDOT, Sangamon County, and the city of Springfield, the overall Springfield Rail Improvements Project streamlines railroad operations and reduces the impact of train traffic on the surrounding community by relocating all passenger and freight traffic from the Third Street corridor to Tenth Street, as well as constructing underpasses and one overpass at key crossings on the 10th and 19th Street corridors.
The total cost of the Springfield Rail Improvements Project is projected at $475 million through federal, state, and local contributions, with $122 million identified from Rebuild Illinois.
Illinois EPA Announces $27 Million Notice of Funding Opportunity for Electric School Buses
The Illinois EPA announced a $27,023,485 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to fund the replacement of existing diesel school buses with new all-electric school buses located and operated in any of the three priority areas outlined in the Beneficiary Mitigation Plan (BMP). Illinois EPA will also fund a portion of new electric charging equipment if charging infrastructure is needed.
Through this funding opportunity, Illinois EPA intends to fund projects in the three priority areas outlined in the VW BMP and specified in the NOFO:
- Priority Area 1: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties, Oswego Township in Kendall County, and Aux Sable and Goose Lake townships in Grundy County.
- Priority Area 2: Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair counties.
- Priority Area 3: Champaign, DeKalb, LaSalle, McLean, Peoria, Sangamon, and Winnebago counties.
Eligible applicants include school districts that own their buses or commercial school bus providers. Purchased buses must serve a school district within one of the three priority areas. Existing diesel buses must be engine Model Year 2009 and older diesel-powered Class 4 – 8 school buses and must be scrapped within 90 days of the new bus being placed into service.
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