Infrastructure

The $136.6 billion 2024-2026 biennium budget proposal will be debated by the state General Assembly when it reconvenes on Jan. 2.

State departments of transportation are expected to boost their own funding during the third year of federal infrastructure support from the IIJA.

The bill would require government agencies to undertake an independent audit and a public comment period before entering into P3s among other provisions.

The stars are starting to align for the long-awaited bridge replacement which received a $600 million federal grant toward the project expected to cost up to $7.5 billion.

State bonds are a key part of the two-state plan to replace the aging Blatnik Bridge, but officials are also seeking more than $1 billion in federal grants.

Ohio last week opened the first, and so far only, electric vehicle charging station funded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The municipal bond rally has brought two big Illinois issuers into the market with plans to sell refunding bonds this week.

The Plan of Action for Regional Transit asks lawmakers for $1.5 billion of new operating support for transit and at least $400 million annually of complementary capital investments.

The state's Democratic leaders approved $19 million in emergency funding for road maintenance and snowplows after ODOT said it would cut back snowplow services to four days a week amid inflationary pressures and gas tax revenue declines.

Republicans have repeatedly criticized the California high-speed rail project as a waste of taxpayer money.