Acting Illinois Transportation Department Secretary Omer Osman | idot.illinois.gov/
Acting Illinois Transportation Department Secretary Omer Osman | idot.illinois.gov/
Transit is critical in downstate Illinois communities, the acting head of the state's transportation department explained in a recent news release which also announced $112 million had been awarded to transit providers in the southern part of the state.
"Transit in our downstate communities can be a lifeline for getting to work or school, a doctor’s appointment or a trip to the grocery store," Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) acting secretary, Omer Osman, said in a Nov. 13 news release.
"This funding through Rebuild Illinois means these providers finally will have the resources they need to improve service in communities that have not seen this type of investment for many years," said Osman.
A Connect Transit Bus in McLean County
| facebook.com/ConnectTransit/
Osman, who began his IDOT career as a civil engineer in 1989, has also served as deputy secretary and was appointed acting head of the department in 2019 by Gov. JB Pritzker.
The grants issued to 31 downstate transit providers is a small portion of the $45 Billion bipartisan Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan that was signed by Pritzker last year.
"The grants will help to expand and improve service, providing more transportation options and promoting an enhanced quality of life in communities throughout the state," the IDOT news release said. "Projects include the purchase of new vehicles as well as the construction of new bus shelters, stations and maintenance facilities."
The IDOT news release provided a list of transit providers in downstate Illinois counties that received grants and how those funds are expected to be spent.
Connect Transit, in McLean County, received one of the largest Rebuild Illinois Investment in Transit grants, which totaled $9.92 million, part of which will be used to help expand and improve transit service downtown Bloomington according to a separate news release issued Nov. 13 by Connect Transit.
Connect Transit will use the rest of the grant to purchase four 35-foot electric buses and help complete 90 more bus stops, itself part of the Better Bus Stops for Bloomington-Normal campaign.
"We are very pleased and gratified to receive this additional funding commitment from the state of Illinois," Connect Transit Board Chairman Ryan Whitehouse said in the Connect Transit news release, "This takes us one step closer toward realizing our dream of a new Downtown Bloomington Transfer Center.”
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