The U.S. House passed a six year Highway Transportation Bill on Thursday, November 5, 2015.
The bill, which calls for $264 billion in spending on highways, $55 billion on transit, and about $9 billion on safety programs, passed the House Thursday by a vote of 363 to 64. About 80% of the I-74 Bridge project is funded by the federal government.
“I am hopeful that we will continue moving forward, so that we can finally replace the I-74 bridge, expand U.S. 20 and provide a job creating economic boost to manufacturers like Caterpillar and John Deere,” Congresswoman Cheri Bustos said Thursday.
It’s unclear how much money will be awarded to the I-74 Bridge through the Transportation Bill, but it now heads to a conference committee, where the differences between this house bill and a U.S. Senate bill need to be worked out by November 20th. Otherwise, the Highway Trust fund is depleted.
Funding from the state of Illinois is also a major concern though. In July, Governor Rauner’s office told News 8 the I-74 Bridge funding was under review. No word yet on when that decision will come down. About $100 million had already been spent on the I-74 bridge project in July. It is expected to be finished by 2020 with a total price tag of $1.2 billion.