ARLINGTON HEIGHTS – State Senator Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) announced that the Illinois Department of Transportation’s five-year Highway Improvement Program includes major projects for U.S. Route 14 and Illinois Route 53.

U.S. Route 14 between Smith Rd. and Hicks Rd. will receive over $1.1 million for repaving and accessibility improvements for people with disabilities. Three other projects are outlined for U.S. Route 14 in the coming years, potentially including new crosswalks, bridge repair and new left turn lanes.

Illinois Route 53 will receive $1.1 million to repair the bridge near Sunset Park in Rolling Meadows. Three other projects are outlined for Illinois Route 53 in the coming years.

Palatine Rd. between Williams Dr. and Alison Dr. will receive $800,000 for general repairs.

EDWARDSVILLE – The City of Edwardsville will receive a $2.5 million grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to construct the city’s first indoor facility for recreational activities, State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) announced today.

“This grant will provide numerous recreation opportunities for residents, especially when the weather is too rainy or cold to spend time outdoors,” Crowe said. “I can’t thank our state leaders enough for being committed to creating more shared space for people to exercise while strengthening our community’s core.”

The center will be located near the Madison County Bike Trail and Governor’s Parkway and will feature an indoor ice-skating rink and an elevated 175-meter, a four-lane track with a 3,000-square-foot physical fitness center.

SPRINGFIELD – Long-overdue upgrades to U.S. Route 41 and Illinois Route 176 in the 29th District will begin next year, State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) announced Tuesday.

The state is investing more than $35 million for local road and bridge projects in 2020.

Parts of the northern suburbs in Lake and Cook counties will receive updates to the roads as part of Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation’s $23.5 billion, five-year highway improvement plan – pegged as “Rebuild Illinois.”

Over the next five years, the district Sen. Morrison represents will receive approximately $182 million to complete 54 projects.

“For years, drivers on these roads have dealt with delays and unsafe road conditions,” Sen. Morrison said. “I am proud to have worked with local officials to secure funding to fix this stretch of roadway in the Rebuild Illinois Program.”

SPRINGFIELD - State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) announced that the newly released Illinois Department of Transportation five-year Highway Improvement Program includes a major investment in Illinois Route 159 in Bunker Hill.

The Highway Improvement Program released by Governor JB Pritzker and a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Monday includes $3 million for repaving of IL-159 and the new construction of curbing and storm sewers along the state route from North Street to Alton Street within Bunker Hill.

“Like many in my hometown, I recognize that the drainage issues and unsightly ditches along Washington Street in Bunker Hill need to be addressed. It’s long overdue and I’m pleased that IDOT will finally take this much needed step to invest in our community,” Manar said. “I deeply appreciate the advocacy of Mayor Betty Phelps and the city council to help get this done.”

The project in Bunker Hill is one of 110 separate projects in the Senate district Manar represents, totaling approximately $357 million. These projects include major bridge repairs and the resurfacing of 250 miles of state roads.

SPRINGFIELD – Members of the Senate’s special committee on Opioid Crisis Abatement held their first meeting under the leadership of State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon).

“There is a tremendous need for new ideas and research to combat Illinois’ opioid crisis,” Crowe said. “This committee’s goal is to produce real, comprehensive solutions.”

Jennifer Epstein, Director of Opioid Initiatives with the Department of Public Health, testified to the committee, giving feedback and status updates on the implementation of the State of Illinois’ Opioid Action Plan (SOAP) 2018 report.

CHICAGO – Local residents can lend a hand to soldiers overseas by helping them stay in touch with loved ones.

State Senator Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) is excited to announce his office’s partnership with Cell Phones For Soldiers, a nonprofit organization which provides free communication services to active duty military personnel and veterans.

“This program helps keep families and loved ones connected when our military men and women often need it the most,” Martwick said. “Join us in helping lend a hand to our brave heroes. Donating used and gently used cellphones is a small way for us to show our support for our men and women overseas.”

Martwick has designated his office at 6315 N. Milwaukee Ave., Suite 101 in Chicago as a permanent drop off location for residents.

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Governor JB Pritzker joined State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill), officials from the Illinois Department of Transportation and other state leaders Monday afternoon to unveil IDOT’s Multi-Year Improvement Program to improve road and bridge projects across the state. The Multi-Year Plan is the highlight of Governor Pritzker’s Rebuild Illinois Program and marks a historic investment in Illinois infrastructure.

The capital infrastructure plan, which will invest $23.5 billion in improving and expanding roads and bridges, is more than double the size of the previous year’s Multi-Year Plan. Projects outlined in the plan will cover 4,212 miles of roadway and 9.2 million square feet of bridge deck statewide over the next six years.

“All together, these road and bridge projects will create and support hundreds of thousands of jobs over the next five years for hardworking Illinoisans in every part of our state,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Illinois has some of the most important roads in America – let’s make them outlast and outperform those across the nation.”

SKOKIE – State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) hosted a fireside chat with a panel of activists that included Ela Gandhi, granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi.

Mandali Buddha Prasad, former Deputy Speaker of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, and David Grengan, President of the Pietermaritzburg Gandhi Committee RSA, also sat on the panel. Villivalam and the panelists discussed Gandhi’s civil rights work, his commitment to nonviolent resistance and his dedication to bridging racial and religious divides.