DANVILLE – State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) announced the Illinois Department of Transportation has slated an estimated $45.3 million in infrastructure projects to improve roads throughout Vermilion County.

“Transportation infrastructure is an essential part of daily living for drivers who are traveling for work, running errands, or visiting our area,” Bennett said. “We need to continue to improve our state’s aging infrastructure by making our roadways more accessible for commuters.”

IDOT announced a number of major infrastructure projects representing an estimated $45.3 million in investments for the area, including:

CHICAGO – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) hosted a vaccination event in partnership with Howard Brown Health, the Illinois Institute of Technology, State Representative Lamont Robinson, State Representative Kam Buckner, and Alderman Pat Dowell Saturday.

“From our community health fairs to these mass vaccinations, Illinois Tech has been a terrific partner in helping to promote a healthy and thriving community,” Hunter said. “I am excited to have partnered with them on this vaccination event, helping Illinoisans stay protected against the worst of COVID-19.”

Howard Brown Health provided first and second doses of the Moderna vaccine Saturday. Vaccinations were open to all students, faculty, and staff, and neighbors throughout Chicago’s Southside community. More than 400 people came out to get their shot.

NAPERVILLE – With the release of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s multi-year plan to improve Illinois’ roads and bridges, State Senator Laura Ellman (D-Naperville) is pleased to see the Illinois Route 38 expansion between Wheaton and Winfield proceeding in 2022.

“Investing in our area’s roads and highways is essential to the safety of both drivers and pedestrians,” Ellman said. “I am thankful that the state is taking the next step toward making Route 38 more accessible and safe for people in our community.”

The IL Route 38 project proposes to widen the highway to include two 11-foot wide lanes in each direction and expand to a 16-foot wide barrier median. It also includes a proposed 8-foot wide shared-use path on the north side of the highway for bikers and pedestrians. IDOT’s plan expects the project to be completed within six years and to drastically improve the highway’s safety for both drivers and pedestrians.

BUFFALO GROVE – The Waukegan community will see nearly $9.5 million in improvements to roads, sidewalks and bridges over the next year, and millions of dollars more will fund projects in surrounding areas, State Senator Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) announced Monday.

“For too long, our infrastructure has suffered from historic underinvestment, threatening the safety and security of our community,” Johnson said. “These funds will go toward revitalizing our roads, creating jobs and boosting growth in the area.”

Residents can expect a number of upgrades in the community, including a $2.8 million project to improve a 2.31-mile stretch of Genesee Street, from Belvidere Road to Buckley Road in Waukegan and North Chicago. In addition to repaving, the repairs will make street crossings safer and easier for people in wheelchairs or who otherwise have limited mobility.

The improvements are part of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s multi-year plan to maintain and expand Illinois’ transportation infrastructure. Other area projects scheduled for the upcoming year include bridge replacements on Belvidere Road and Greenwood Avenue.

IDOT also announced over $7.7 million for improvements in Vernon Hills and $2.8 million for Park City, including a $2.3 million bridge rehabilitation project on Washington Street.

Riverwoods, Beach Park, Mundelein, Long Grove, Gurnee and other surrounding communities are slated for millions of dollars more in improvements by 2027.

“Good infrastructure is key to easier commutes, more tourism opportunities and enhanced economic activity,” Johnson said. “I’m thrilled to see these construction projects begin soon.”

IDOT’s full multi-year plan is available at IDOT.Illinois.gov.

SHOREWOOD – Additional improvements to local roads and bridges are set to commence in 2022 thanks to the bipartisan Rebuild Illinois program, State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel announced.

The plan, passed in 2019, will provide residents with faster commutes, safer intersections, and fewer potholes.

“The Rebuild Illinois plan is a symbol of the things that can be accomplished by a government that works together,” Loughran Cappel said. “Only good can come of prioritizing public safety and good paying jobs.”

FRANKFORT – Additional improvements to South Suburban roads and bridges are set to commence in 2022 thanks to the bipartisan Rebuild Illinois program.

The plan, championed by State Senator Michael E. Hastings, will provide residents of the South Suburbs with faster commutes, safer intersections, and fewer potholes.

“When we passed the Rebuild Illinois program, we made the largest long-term infrastructure investment in the history of our state,” Hastings said. “It is thrilling to witness that investment in public safety and job creation begin to pay off.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) joined several Senate colleagues Friday voting in support of a proposed constitutional amendment that would guarantee the right to unionize to Illinois workers.

“Labor rights are intertwined with race, class, and gender struggles, and we must always fight to preserve them,” Peters said. “Declaring a worker's right to collective bargain as a fundamental right guaranteed to everyone who works in Illinois is a major step toward winning the real safety and justice in our communities that we’ve been fighting to secure for generations.”

Peters is a chief co-sponsor of Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 11, which would prevent the General Assembly or any local units of government from passing laws restricting a worker’s right to collectively bargain for better wages, hours or working conditions.

“The past year has seen some major wins in the fight against systemic oppression, but that fight is far from over, and we need to keep pushing for change that works best for everyone, no matter their ZIP code,” Peters said. “I’m proud to have co-sponsored and supported this measure, and I look forward to continuing similar work as we move forward.”

The resolution passed the Senate with bipartisan support and will next be sent to the House of Representations for consideration. Should it pass that chamber, it would then need to be approved by Illinois voters during the next general election, currently scheduled for Nov. 2022.

SPRINGFIELD – To protect Illinois’ working class, State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) supported a constitutional amendment that would ban “right-to-work” legislation in Illinois.

“Right-to-work laws are a threat to Illinois workers and are extremely dangerous to workers’ basic rights on the job,” Joyce said. “This proposed constitutional amendment shows our support to unions, and all workers across the state, by giving them the opportunity to earn a living wage and work in good conditions.”

The amendment would provide that no law passed may prohibit the ability of workers to collectively bargain over wages, hours, terms and conditions of work. The measure would effectively ban right-to-work laws in Illinois, which prohibit union security agreements in which an employer and a labor union agree on the extent to which employees are compelled to join the union and pay union dues.

Non-members in a collective bargaining unit still receive the benefits of collective bargaining agreements, including the higher wages and benefits that unions earn through the bargaining process. Right-to-work laws effectively serve to increase the non-member proportion of the labor force, reducing the bargaining power of the collective.

“Workers in all industries should have the right to organize and bargain for better wages and conditions,” Villivalam said. “Illinois is one of the last bastions of the labor movement, and we must act to preserve and protect it.”

Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 11 passed the Illinois Senate and awaits consideration in the Illinois House.