Freitag urges passage of Houbolt Road bridge
Testifies before Illinois House Committee on Intermodal Infrastructure
JOLIET, IL - Will County Board member Ragan Freitag (R-Wilmington) urged legislators in Springfield Wednesday to approve funding for the proposed Houbolt Road bridge, saying the project is needed to provide access to the county's growing intermodal facilities while also relieving wear and tear on local roads.
"Today, I am here to support the Houbolt Bridge project and to urge fast action from the legislature to get this project underway," Freitag said during testimony before the Illinois House Committee on Intermodal Infrastructure. "Big trucks are wearing down our local roads at an alarming pace. The local road infrastructure was not designed to accommodate the volume of intermodal truck traffic that we now experience."
"Today, I am here to support the Houbolt Bridge project and to urge fast action from the legislature to get this project underway," Freitag said during testimony before the Illinois House Committee on Intermodal Infrastructure. "Big trucks are wearing down our local roads at an alarming pace. The local road infrastructure was not designed to accommodate the volume of intermodal truck traffic that we now experience."
Freitag noted that there are not only more trucks on the roads nowadays, trucks are getting heavier. "None of the roads in Will County was designed for the overweight loading, in excess of 80,000 pounds, that we now permit," she said, pointing out that the county has issued more than 9,600 overweight permits in just the first six months of the year. Freitag acknowledged, “Yes, the County does collect fees from the overweight permits, but No, the fees are not enough to keep up with deterioration of our roads, and there is no price to put on the lives of my constituents and their safety.”
Freitag said large trucks also pose a safety concern because the distance it takes them to stop is much greater than a car. "Semi-trailer trucks are also harder for motorists to see around when passing and add to the area's overall congestion."
Freitag said the answer to these problems is to find alternate access to the county's intermodal facilities and increase vehicular capacity on Interstate 55 and 80. "Connecting Interstate 80 directly from the Houbolt Road interchange south to the intermodal facilities would take enormous pressure off of the local roadway system, especially 53. We simply must build this bridge."
Freitag said she is encouraged by the prospects for continued economic growth in Will County and Illinois because of the county's expanding role as a major transportation and shipping center. But she urged legislators to act soon on the Houbolt Road bridge, designed to be built through a public-private partnership, to provide much-needed relief on the wear and tear of local roads.
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Freitag said large trucks also pose a safety concern because the distance it takes them to stop is much greater than a car. "Semi-trailer trucks are also harder for motorists to see around when passing and add to the area's overall congestion."
Freitag said the answer to these problems is to find alternate access to the county's intermodal facilities and increase vehicular capacity on Interstate 55 and 80. "Connecting Interstate 80 directly from the Houbolt Road interchange south to the intermodal facilities would take enormous pressure off of the local roadway system, especially 53. We simply must build this bridge."
Freitag said she is encouraged by the prospects for continued economic growth in Will County and Illinois because of the county's expanding role as a major transportation and shipping center. But she urged legislators to act soon on the Houbolt Road bridge, designed to be built through a public-private partnership, to provide much-needed relief on the wear and tear of local roads.
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