By AP
Springfield, IL – The majority of Illinois road and bridge projects that have won federal stimulus money to date focus on repairing crumbling infrastructure statewide. That's according to new data on how Illinois is spending the money six months after President Barack Obama signed a $789 billion economic stimulus bill. Illinois is receiving $935 million for road and bridge construction.
A list from the U.S. Department of Transportation reveals that out of about 340 Illinois projects that have received money, nearly 250 are devoted to road repaving and similar improvements. More than 30 projects are for bridge repair and upgrades.
A report released recently by the Illinois Public Interest Research Group argues that repair work is better at stimulating growth, saying such projects generate 16 percent more jobs than new construction.