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| 1 | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois is a major transportation | ||||||
| 3 | hub, serving as a critical link for commerce, tourism, and | ||||||
| 4 | travel within the Midwest and across the nation, with millions | ||||||
| 5 | of vehicles traveling through the State's highways and | ||||||
| 6 | secondary roads each year; and | ||||||
| 7 | WHEREAS, Increased traffic congestion on Illinois | ||||||
| 8 | interstates and secondary roads has impacted the safety, | ||||||
| 9 | efficiency, and economic growth of our communities, leading to | ||||||
| 10 | longer travel times, higher transportation costs, and | ||||||
| 11 | decreased quality of life for residents; and | ||||||
| 12 | WHEREAS, Other states, including Missouri, Maryland, | ||||||
| 13 | Washington, and Connecticut, have undertaken significant | ||||||
| 14 | roadway expansion projects to address traffic congestion and | ||||||
| 15 | improve safety, demonstrating the potential benefits of such | ||||||
| 16 | infrastructure investments; and | ||||||
| 17 | WHEREAS, To keep Illinois at the forefront of travel, | ||||||
| 18 | safety, and commerce, it is essential to assess the | ||||||
| 19 | feasibility of expanding roadway infrastructure to meet | ||||||
| 20 | growing demands; and | ||||||
| 21 | WHEREAS, Expanding the capacity of transportation | ||||||
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| 1 | infrastructure to reduce traffic delays, improve safety, and | ||||||
| 2 | enhance the movement of goods and services has the potential | ||||||
| 3 | to include such benefits as increased commercial activity, | ||||||
| 4 | better access to markets, and enhanced regional | ||||||
| 5 | competitiveness; and | ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, Many commercial corridors rely on secondary roads | ||||||
| 7 | that are often not equipped to handle the volume of commercial | ||||||
| 8 | traffic, leading to inefficiencies, safety concerns, and | ||||||
| 9 | potential bottlenecks that can affect local businesses and | ||||||
| 10 | logistics operations; therefore, be it | ||||||
| 11 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL | ||||||
| 12 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF | ||||||
| 13 | REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the Illinois | ||||||
| 14 | Department of Transportation to conduct a study on the | ||||||
| 15 | feasibility and potential impacts of expanding all interstates | ||||||
| 16 | in Illinois to a minimum of six lanes and all secondary roads | ||||||
| 17 | on commercial corridors to a minimum of four lanes; and be it | ||||||
| 18 | further | ||||||
| 19 | RESOLVED, That the study should assess current traffic | ||||||
| 20 | patterns, infrastructure capacity, potential economic | ||||||
| 21 | benefits, safety improvements, and cost estimates associated | ||||||
| 22 | with such expansions; and be it further | ||||||
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| 1 | RESOLVED, That the Department of Transportation is urged | ||||||
| 2 | to complete this study and report its findings and | ||||||
| 3 | recommendations to the General Assembly by no later than | ||||||
| 4 | January 1, 2026; and be it further | ||||||
| 5 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 6 | delivered to the Secretary of the Illinois Department of | ||||||
| 7 | Transportation and the Governor of the State of Illinois. | ||||||