Bill Text: IL HR1022 | 2011-2012 | 97th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Encourages State and federal officials to provide funding for the Route 50 Expansion Project between the Indiana state line and connecting with Interstate 64 in Illinois.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 2-1)
Status: (Passed) 2012-05-31 - Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Paul Evans [HR1022 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2011-HR1022-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, From east to west and west to east, United States | ||||||
3 | Highway 50 connects the country from coast to coast, stretching | ||||||
4 | from Ocean City, Maryland, to Sacramento, California, passing | ||||||
5 | through cities across the country including Washington D.C., | ||||||
6 | Cincinnati, St. Louis, Kansas City, Carson City, and Lake | ||||||
7 | Tahoe; and
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8 | WHEREAS, In Illinois, US Highway 50 runs 165.79 miles east | ||||||
9 | to west across the southern portion of the State, between | ||||||
10 | Interstate 70 to the north and Interstate 64 to the south; | ||||||
11 | except for interchanges and a small section near the Indiana | ||||||
12 | border, the Illinois Section of US Highway 50 is only 2-lanes; | ||||||
13 | and
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14 | WHEREAS, In order for a community to realize its maximum | ||||||
15 | opportunity for economic development, it must have a direct, | ||||||
16 | safe, and efficient connection to the potential markets in the | ||||||
17 | surrounding area; and
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18 | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois Department of | ||||||
19 | Transportation is responsible for planning and designing safe | ||||||
20 | access to US Highway 50; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Phase I engineering studies were completed for US |
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1 | Route 50 from Lebanon to the Indiana state line between the | ||||||
2 | years of 1969 and 1973, and the Illinois Department of | ||||||
3 | Transportation also funded a feasibility study in 2007 to | ||||||
4 | identify the requirements and cost of upgrading to a 4-lane | ||||||
5 | highway; and
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6 | WHEREAS, The feasibility study was completed and approved | ||||||
7 | by the Illinois Department of Transportation in 2008 and | ||||||
8 | declared a feasible expansion project; the funding of | ||||||
9 | $5,000,000 for the Phase I study was secured in 2009 in the | ||||||
10 | Capital Bill; and
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11 | WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Transportation signed | ||||||
12 | the Phase I Environmental Energy Study Contract for $3.6 | ||||||
13 | million in July 2011, with the remaining $1.4 million | ||||||
14 | designated for design engineering of this corridor; and
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15 | WHEREAS, The Illinois Route 50 Coalition was first created | ||||||
16 | in 2006 to support the expiation of Route 50 as a means to | ||||||
17 | provide economic development to an area of Illinois that has | ||||||
18 | suffered population loss in the past decade; and
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19 | WHEREAS, There is no better route from St. Louis to | ||||||
20 | Cincinnati than the US Route 50 Highway which will revive rural | ||||||
21 | communities and provide economic growth; and
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1 | WHEREAS, The communities of Lawrence, Richland, Clay, | ||||||
2 | Marion, Clinton and St. Clair Counties, and the communities of | ||||||
3 | Lawrenceville, Bridgeport, Sumner, Olney, Noble, Clay, Xenia, | ||||||
4 | Iuka, Salem, Centralia, Hoffman, Carlyle, Beckemeyer, Breese, | ||||||
5 | Aviston, Trenton, and Summerfield are in strong favor of the | ||||||
6 | expansion, and completing the engineering study so the project | ||||||
7 | can begin as soon as funds become available; and
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8 | WHEREAS, It is in the best interest of the State to pursue | ||||||
9 | efforts to improve or extend the Route 50 Four-Lane Expansion | ||||||
10 | Project between the Indiana state line and connecting with | ||||||
11 | Interstate 64 in Illinois; therefore, be it
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12 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
13 | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
14 | we encourage State and federal officials to provide funding for | ||||||
15 | this important project as soon as it becomes available; and be | ||||||
16 | it further
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17 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
18 | presented to the Illinois Secretary of Transportation, the | ||||||
19 | United States Secretary of Transportation, Governor Quinn, to | ||||||
20 | each member of the Illinois Congressional delegation, and to | ||||||
21 | the President of the United States, Barack Obama.
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