November 16, 2021

Duckworth, Durbin, Bustos Announce Over $16 Million to Modernize and Improve Downtown Rockford

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) today announced the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will receive a $16,384,905 federal grant for the Rockford Complete Streets Revitalization Project. Today’s investment will help fund the reconstruction of Chestnut and Walnut streets in downtown Rockford as part of the city’s efforts to modernize and improve downtown roadway infrastructure that currently limits connectivity in the central business district and slows redevelopment opportunities. The funding will also be used to procure three electric buses and support recharging infrastructure.

“Improving and modernizing downtown Rockford with this federal funding will help residents and businesses owners throughout the area while supporting good-paying local jobs,” Duckworth said. “I’ll keep working with Senator Durbin to make sure Rockford and communities all across Illinois receive the federal support they deserve to create more jobs while improving transportation options for working Illinoisans.”

“This federal funding will be a tremendous boost to Rockford by better connecting families to work, school, and recreational opportunities downtown. I’m especially pleased this funding will support clean and reliable transportation infrastructure, including electric buses,” Durbin said. “Senator Duckworth and I are proud to support this improvement project, and will continue advocating for strong investments in Illinois’ transportation infrastructure.” 

“I’m so pleased that downtown Rockford will receive more than $16 million in federal funds to support road reconstruction and bring three brand-new electric busses to the community,” Congresswoman Bustos said. “These are the kind of investments we’ll continue to make across Illinois with funds from the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill to create good-paying jobs rebuilding our communities back better than ever.”

Yesterday, President Biden signed the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal into law with several provisions that will help improve the lives of working Americans by reducing traffic congestion, encouraging the creation of good-paying local jobs across the nation, protecting roadside responders and improving transit accessibility, among many other benefits for workers. Today’s federal grant award comes through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program, which invests in state, local, multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional road, rail, transit and port projects that economically empower communities, update infrastructure and create good jobs.