Valley officials urge Congress to fund transportation bill

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Updated: November 16, 2011 2:00AM

AURORA — As Congress considers the form of its new transportation bill, Illinois business and elected officials are urging the House to pass a bill that is at least the same size of the last transportation legislation.

To that end, the national Transportation for America will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Aurora Transportation Center on North Broadway.

Fox Valley mayors and statewide business leaders will be on hard to urge that Illinois congressmen on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee vote against a proposed bill in the House that would cut by 34 percent the transportation funding that was in the 2006 Transportation bill.

That legislation has been proposed by U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla, chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. While the bill itself has not been introduced, officials are anticipating Mica will introduce it.

Illinois officials are estimating Illinois alone will lose $670 million in project funding which could result in the loss of 23,800 construction and transportation jobs.

Included in those projects that could lose funding would be the Prairie Parkway highway proposal for Kane and Kendall counties, and the Metra extension to Oswego.

Officials will urge Congress to support a bipartisan effort in the Senate to write a two-year transportation bill that keeps funding at the 2006 level and keeps long-term projects funded.

The Illinois congressmen on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee are Randy Hultgren, who represents most of the Fox Valley, and Jerry Costello, Tim Johnson and Dan Lipinski.

Expected to attend the press conference Tuesday are: North Aurora Village President Dale Berman; David L. Anderson, Elburn village president; Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns; Yorkville Mayor Gary Golinski; Oswego Village President Brian LeClercq; Marilyn Michelini, Montgomery mayor; and Jeff Schielke, Batavia mayor.

Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner will not attend because of a previously scheduled commitment, but City Engineer Ken Schroth will attend on his behalf.

Also attending will be: Gideon Bluestein, Illinois Chamber of Commerce; Woodie Griffin, chairman of Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Association (IRTBA) and president of James D. Fiala Paving Company; Peter Skosey, Metropolitan Planning Council; Brian Imus, Illinois Public Interest Research Group; Dan Perksy, Active Transportation Alliance; and Jennifer Henry, Natural Resources Defense Council.