Illinois DOT ready to do what it takes to win QC passenger rail

The Illinois Department of Transportation is committed to bringing passenger rail service from Chicago to the Quad Cities, acting Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi promised leaders who attended the second annual QCBJ’s Transportation & Infrastructure Seminar. Ms. Biagi, who was appointed to that post by Gov. J.B. Pritzker after the retirement of Omer Osman in December […]

The Illinois Department of Transportation is committed to bringing passenger rail service from Chicago to the Quad Cities, acting Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi promised leaders who attended the second annual QCBJ’s Transportation & Infrastructure Seminar. Ms. Biagi, who was appointed to that post by Gov. J.B. Pritzker after the retirement of Omer Osman in December 2024, led off the half-day-long QCBJ program at the Rhythm City Casino in Davenport on Tuesday, April 8.

She was followed on the stage by Iowa Department of Transportation District Engineer Jim Schnoebelen. Each of the DOT leaders shared details of major infrastructure projects in their states. Among them was a shared one: Replacement of the Mississippi River Interstate 80 Bridge between LeClaire, Iowa, and Rock Island County, Illinois. Besides roads and bridges, another critical part of the Illinois DOT’s mission is “transit, transit, transit,” Ms. Biagi told some 250 bi-state regional transportation, construction and business leaders. “If you want to reduce congestion, also invest in transit. We can have it all. We can have roads that move smoothly and we can also get people to mode shift,” she said. “I know that particularly around here there is a really important project to bring passenger rail to this region.” The challenges to the region’s 16-year-long passenger rail fight are well-documented.  “We have a big funding gap with the options that we have on the table and so we’re actually doing a lot of conversations behind the scenes with stakeholders looking at trying to come up with some options that can bring around passenger rail sooner than later,” Ms. Biagi said.

‘Proof of concept’

Among potential solutions are two proposed alternates to the initially proposed direct route that would go from Chicago to Moline via Wyanet, Illinois, on the Iowa Interstate Railroad. The alternative routes were proposed by Illinois DOT and shared with the community in a joint press conference by Quad Cities leaders in March. “The funding gap is really big with the option that we have right now,” Ms. Biagi told the seminar audience Tuesday. “So what we’re looking at is, is there a way that we can at least get service started with a project that maybe isn’t the whole ball of wax at first, but that we can make an investment to get something going and really try to get the proof of concept in place?” When asked what local leaders can do to make it happen, Ms. Biagi said “I think it is important that the civic community, the business community continue to make the case for transit. It’s hand to glove. Investing in transit doesn’t mean you’re not going to invest in highways, or at least it doesn’t in our book.” Illinois DOT leaders also are interested in talking to both public and private entities that have ideas for how to make passenger rail service a reality. “We want to be sure we support AMTRAK, but for passenger rail we’re open-minded,” Ms. Biagi said. “We’re looking at trying to find ways to do it in one way or another.” For example, she said, “Do we do it in phases?”  Whatever path is chosen, Ms. Biagi added, “It’s really important to us that this happens and that we’re not waiting 20 years for the funding to fall out of the sky so we can start making moves toward that sooner than later.”

Illinois busy rebuilding

Passenger rail isn’t the only thing on Illinois DOT’s plate, added Ms. Biagi, who awaits Illinois Senate confirmation of her appointment. For example, she came to Davenport on Tuesday from Dixon, Illinois, where she helped celebrate the groundbreaking for the final phase of a $42 million project to build a new bike and pedestrian bridge across the Rock River. “In Illinois, we are busy,” Ms. Biagi said. It has been since Illinois lawmakers enacted Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s ambitious $45 billion Rebuild Illinois infrastructure program in 2019.  “We have been able to date to spend $18 billion of that in just the last couple of years on almost 7,000 miles of highway, almost 750 bridges, thousands of road safety projects, millions on transit, aviation, ports, it keeps going,” she said. And that shows no signs of slowing down. “We are focused on two things, and that is speed and spend.”  That's complicated by the challenge of finding the workforce needed to handle what amounts to a 500% increase in the workforce needed in a short time. “Please come to work at IDOT,” she asked the transportation professionals. Ms. Biagi added “We also need the help of the consultant community to be creative to help us deliver. Give us those new ideas. We’re here for it, I’m here for it and we really want to get things moving.” That also is true for the Quad Cities region where there is “no shortage of projects” in the works. Among the bigger ones is the $20 million project to resurface Interstate 280 and Interstate 74 from Airport Road to Henry County. Bids are expected to be let this summer. “The June letting is going to be giant, so take a look at it,” she urged attendees.

$1.5B QC bridge project

Then there is the work to replace the old Mississippi River Interstate 80 bridge between LeClaire and Rock Island County. “It’s about one and a half billion dollars worth of project,” Ms. Biagi said of one of the biggest construction projects going on now in the state.  Also coming up are upgrading interchanges on U.S. 68 in Iowa and Illinois and building the Interstate 88 interchange. It's scheduled to start around 2027, and Ms. Biagi anticipates “a lot of letting” for engineers looking to bid on it. Looking ahead, she added, “We’re making huge strides to plan for U.S. 67 Centennial Bridge over the Mississippi River.” A kickoff meeting is planned on April 17, she told the crowd, “so if you’re not working on it, get your neighbors out there to give us the input we need to make sure it’s great.” The goal is to have a plan and a timetable established by 2027. “We have a lot to do across our state and we need all the help of the design engineering community, the construction community, everybody pulling together and helping us deliver on a program that will be utterly transformative and really be the next 100 years of legacy that we are able to administer right now,” the acting secretary said.

Iowa focused on safety

Speaking for the Iowa DOT, Mr. Schnoebelen said worker, driver, passenger and pedestrian safety remain a central focus. For example, he said, “We’re very pleased to announce that on April 2nd, the governor signed Senate File 22 into law.”  The bill bans handheld cell phone use while driving. In addition to Iowa’s $210 million contribution to the bistate I-80 Mississippi River bridge replacement, which Mr. Schnoebelen said, is tentatively planned to begin “around 2028,” he highlighted the Interstate 80/Middle Road construction project. It’s slated to begin in 2026. That $60 million project, which is being led by Bettendorf, is scheduled to go out for bids this summer. The Iowa DOT also has assisted local governments with projects including a Scott County area mass transit study designed to identify public transit needs.  “Today we have a room full of people who help support the economy of the Quad Cities, so thank you,” Mr. Schnoebelen said. “We absolutely view this community as partners with us in the public sector to deliver for the people of Iowa. We’re stronger together.”