Will County officials hope for millions in federal funds for local projects as Congress debates infrastructure bill

Area members of Congress say they’ll recommend more than $20 million in infrastructure and transportation proposals which could benefit Will County

Will County officials hope to see Congress allocate millions of dollars for several major local transportation and infrastructure projects

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives have solicited requests for funding on specific projects to be included in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s member-designated project initiative. The requests also come as President Joe Biden has outlined a $2.3 trillion plan to bolster the nation’s crumbling infrastructure.

Last month, county officials submitted requests for funding to members of Congress representing the area. The county is split into six different congressional districts.

“We’re always looking to be proactive in our infrastructure investments,” said Nick Palmer, the chief of staff to the Will County Board.

The county requested about $20 million in funding for multiple transportation and infrastructure projects.

Representatives from Smith Dawson & Andrews, the county’s federal lobbyists, told the County Board’s Legislative and Judicial Committee on Tuesday that local members of Congress decided to recommend nearly all of the projects that they submitted for funding consideration.

Traffic heading northbound on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, at Weber Road in Romeoville, Ill. Construction on Weber Road has caused traffic and congestion.

The proposals picked for submission included:

· $3.5 million for lane safety upgrades to Laraway Road from Nelson Road to Cedar Road.

· $2.7 million for improvements to Gougar Road from Laraway Road to Francis Road.

· $2.7 million for improvements to two segments of Manhattan-Monee Road from Center Road to Interstate 57 near Monee.

· $2.5 million for construction of a bridge from U.S. 6 from Interstate 55 to the new Houbolt Road extension in Joliet.

· $2.1 million for a widening of Weber Road from 135th Street to Airport Road between Bolingbrook and Romeoville.

· $1.5 million for lane improvements on 80th Avenue from 191st Street to 183rd Street.

Catherine Beal, a senior associate with Smith Dawson & Andrews, cautioned board members that just because these projects were selected for submission does not guarantee they’ll be included in the final legislation.

Brett Garson, the managing director of Smith Dawson & Andrews, told County Board members the process for selecting local projects across Congressional districts was quite competitive. Each House member was able to submit up to 10 projects for their district.

He said Will County benefitted from having multiple members representing it in Congress. The county also submitted proposals for what were called “community projects.” That list included requests which were not necessarily related to transportation or infrastructure, though none were chosen for further consideration.

“You guys should still feel very good about getting so many projects included,” Garson said.

He added that the House of Representatives hopes to pass its version of an infrastructure bill around July 4.

Last week, U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, announced the list of projects he would submit from his district. It included more than $20 million in funding proposals for community projects in Joliet. Foster’s 11th Congressional District includes large parts of Joliet, New Lenox, Plainfield, Shorewood and Bolingbrook.


bill foster, congress

In addition to the funding for county projects like the Weber Road expansion, Foster also announced he would submit a proposal of more than $6 million for the eastward extension of 143rd Street in Plainfield.

Foster’s proposal list included projects which extended into neighboring districts, including those of Reps. Marie Newman, D-La Grange, Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, and Adam Kinzinger, R-Channahon. The members were able to divide up the requested funding amounts, which officials hope could increase the chances of projects ultimately receiving the funding.

Samantha Warren, Foster’s legislative director and deputy chief of staff, said their team wanted to select projects which would “impact the greatest number of people” in the 11th District.

Newman’s list of proposals also included $1.4 million for pedestrian safety improvements along State Street in Lockport.

Will County officials hope local infrastructure will benefit greatly from the final package coming out of Congress.

Jeff Ronaldson, Will County’s director of transportation, said the county sought to submit shovel-ready road improvement projects for consideration.

Extra federal help would free up county funds for many other transportation projects his department has in its long-term plan. In 2019 when the County Board was debating whether to implement a 4-cent gas tax, Ronaldson told members the county faces a more than $1 billion shortfall for its 20-year transportation plan.

“Every little bit will help,” Ronaldson said of the possibility of benefitting from extra federal money.

Hugh O’Hara, the executive director of the Will County Governmental League, said while the funding amounts for individual projects may not be large, he hopes the county will significantly benefit. He added, “a national infrastructure bill is long overdue,” especially since the nation’s roads and bridges are in deep need of repair.

Even if Will County may only see federal funding for a portion of the projects it submitted, Palmer said there may be other opportunities to pay for them. The county is set to receive about $133 million via the American Rescue Plan this year.

“We’re pleased to see that the projects are moving through the Congressional process,” Palmer said, “but we know we have lots more work to be done.”