Transportation Funds Siphoned Off To Reduce State Deficit

A total of $367 million, earmarked for transportation for the state of Illinois, is being siphoned off in the next five years to help reduce the state multibillion-dollar deficit. "Uncertainty about the timely renewal of federal transportation funding in Congress also puts the state's road-repair timetable up for grabs." Transportation officials anticipate the loss of thousands of jobs, longer commutes, project downgrading and the backlog of smaller but critical road improvements. Officials representing the state road-building industry "predicted the five-year plan will start to unravel by 2005 unless new funding sources are tapped and a trust fund is created to protect spending designated for road improvements from being used to rescue the state budget."

Thanks to Connie Chung