Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Transportation and Infrastructure
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $4 Million In HUD Funding For Illinois Affordable Housing
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the State of Illinois will receive $4,310,055 in grant funding through the Housing Trust Fund (HTF), a federal grant program administered by Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The HTF program seeks to increase and preserve the supply of decent, safe, and sanitary affordable housing for extremely low- and very low-income households, including homeless families. HTF funds may be used … Continue Reading
March 01, 2017
Durbin, Duckworth, Quigley Press Army Corps To Approve Funding For McCook Reservoir
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL) pressed the Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) for strong and continued support for the construction of the McCook Reservoir Project in a letter to Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army Douglas Lamont. An allocation of additional funding by the Corps is necessary to meet the December 31, 2017 deadline for completion of Stage 1 of the McCook Reservoir, which is required by the … Continue Reading
February 24, 2017
Durbin, Bipartisan Illinois Lawmakers Press STB To Support The Illinois Tollway’s Elgin O’Hare Western Access Project
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin led a bipartisan group of Illinois Congressional leaders in urging the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) to support the Illinois Toll Highway Authority ('Tollway') in its ongoing dispute with Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) over the Elgin O'Hare Western Access (EOWA) project. In a letter to STB Chairwoman Ann Begeman, the members urged STB to move quickly to confirm the Tollway's right to proceed with the next phase of the project. "Despite years of … Continue Reading
February 01, 2017
Durbin Meets With STB In Support Of Elgin O’Hare Western Access Project
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) Member and former Chairman Daniel Elliot to express his support for the Illinois Tollway's petition to the STB regarding their ongoing dispute with Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) over the Elgin O'Hare Western Access (EOWA) project. The project creates new western road access to O'Hare International Airport along with a new western bypass around the airport. "Years in the making, the EOWA … Continue Reading
January 31, 2017
Durbin, Duckworth Call On STB To Extend Oversight Period Of Canadian National Railroad
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth today joined the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Village of Barrington in pressing the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to extend its oversight period for the Canadian National Railroad (CN) to January 2019 and urged CN to institute additional grade crossing mitigation measures. In 2009, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) placed CN under an unprecedented monitoring period when it acquired the Elgin, … Continue Reading
January 13, 2017
Durbin, Menendez Praise Final Hud Lead Safe Housing Rule
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today praised the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) final Lead Safe Housing Rule (LSHR), which revises the definition of "elevated blood lead levels" and strengthens protocols by which the Department identifies and investigates lead exposure in federally-assisted housing. Under the new rule, HUD will lower its threshold for blood lead levels requiring Department intervention from 20 micrograms per … Continue Reading
January 12, 2017
Durbin, Duckworth, Quigley Announce $1 Million In Federal Funds For Additional Safety Indicators At CTA’s Control Center
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL-5) today announced that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), part of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), has awarded the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) $1,078,300 to fund their Operations Control Center Safety Enhancements Project. The project would add additional safety indicators to the CTA's Control Center (CC) and better integrate critical information … Continue Reading
January 10, 2017
Durbin And Duckworth Meet To Discuss Legislative Priorities For Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) met to discuss priority issues for the state of Illinois. During the meeting, Durbin and Duckworth discussed short- and long-term goals and priorities for Illinois, including ways to create jobs, invest in infrastructure and grow the state's economy. "Senator Duckworth's journey to the Senate is an inspiration to me and people across America. She brings new energy, ideas and a unique experience in public service to … Continue Reading
January 09, 2017
Durbin To IDOT: Continue Working With Community To Address Concerns For Increased Service On Amtrak’s Hiawatha Line
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today encouraged the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to continue to work with community leaders and area residents as planning moves forward for increased Amtrak service on the Hiawatha line between Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. IDOT recently extended the proposal's public comment period to allow additional time for the consideration of surrounding communities' concerns. "Reducing any negative local impact of the … Continue Reading
January 09, 2017
Durbin, Duckworth Announce More Than $117 Million In Federal Funding For Rural Community Development In Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $117,920,000 in federal funding for Edgar, Kankakee, Madison, Perry Counties to support rural community development projects. Today's funding, provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Community Development Initiative Grant, will provide assistance to benefit the City of Paris, Illinois, Olivet Nazarene University Foundation, the Village of St. Jacob, Illinois, and Pinckneyville … Continue Reading
January 06, 2017
Durbin Announces $1.3 Million In HUD Funding For Illinois Housing And Community Development
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that five communities in Illinois will receive a total of $1,354,321 in grant funding through the Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) Service Coordinators (SC) Grant Program. This federal grant program is administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide funding to hire and maintain Service Coordinators who will assess the needs of residents of public housing and coordinate available … Continue Reading
May 28, 2014
Senators Urge Transportation Department to Improve Federal Oversight of Pipelines
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Carl Levin (D-MI) today urged the Department of Transportation to quickly implement the policy recommendations made in the agency's internal audit to improve federal oversight of the nation's pipeline system. Following a 2010 natural gas pipeline explosion, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended an audit of how the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) oversees state … Continue Reading
May 28, 2014
Durbin, Bustos Announce $756,000 Investment For Mississippi River Ferry Boat Terminal in Moline
[WASHINGTON, DC] - Today, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) announced a $756,350 federal investment that will go to the Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District for the construction of a new Channel Cat Passenger Ferryboat Terminal on the Mississippi River in Moline. The grant was awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Discretionary Passenger Ferry Grant Program. "This federal funding will create jobs and make improvements … Continue Reading
April 08, 2014
Durbin Meets With Transportation Secretary to Discuss Illinois Transportation Issues
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - In a meeting with the Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) discussed the importance of a robust investment in Illinois transportation as part of any new transportation bill. The current transportation bill - Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) - expires on October 1, 2014. They also discussed both freight and passenger rail safety. "Secretary Foxx and I discussed the importance of Illinois' airports, … Continue Reading
March 05, 2014
Durbin: As National Transportation Hub, Illinois Infrastructure Will Benefit From Historic Investments in Presidential Budget
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said the budget that President Obama delivered to Congress today will create jobs and give our economy a shot in the arm by making critical investments in our national transportation and infrastructure network. "Illinois' airports, highways, waterways, and rail lines are at the center of our national transportation network. Maintaining and modernizing this quickly aging network is vital to our future economic well-being, and must be one of our national … Continue Reading
January 30, 2014
Durbin Calls for Federal Investigation Into Monday's Deadly Tollway Crash
US Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to "immediately and fully" investigate Monday's deadly tollway crash on I-88 in Aurora, Illinois. According to news reports, the driver in the crash had been on the road for more than 30 hours with little to no sleep, in violation of federal law. In a letter to FMCSA's Administrator Anne Ferro, Durbin asked the agency to determine if the driver, or his employer, DND International, violated … Continue Reading
January 28, 2014
Durbin Statement on President Obama's State of the Union Address
Washington, D.C. - Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement today following President Obama's State of the Union address: "Tonight the President gave an optimistic speech about opportunity for American families, an economy on the rise and leveled a call to action to ensure this is a year of progress for the middle class." "From programs to grow the economy and create jobs like the launching of new manufacturing institutes and infrastructure … Continue Reading
January 17, 2014
CTA Poised to Benefit from Funding of New "Core Capacity" Program
[CHICAGO] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Chicago Transit Authority President Forrest Claypool and U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL-05) today said that as the only transit system currently accepted into the FTA's Core Capacity Program, the CTA is poised to benefit from the infusion of funding included in the FY 2014 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which was passed on a bipartisan Senate vote yesterday and now moves to President Obama's desk for his signature. Every … Continue Reading
January 14, 2014
Omnibus Appropriations Bill Makes Funding Available for CTA Under Core Capacity Program
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Omnibus Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2014 honors the $120 million included in the President's Budget to fund a competitive grant program he created as part of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) which was signed into law in 2012. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) became the first transit system accepted into the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)'s "Core Capacity" Program in … Continue Reading
December 11, 2013
Durbin: Amtrak Ridership in Illinois is on the Rise
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - As Amtrak ridership numbers continue to grow, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met today with Amtrak Board of Directors Chairman Anthony Coscia and former Mayor of Macomb, Illinois and current member of the Amtrak Board of Directors, Thomas Carper. A photo of today's meeting is available here. "Amtrak made incredible progress under Chairman Carper's leadership, and we have already seen that trend continue with Chairman Coscia," Durbin said. "Congress must also do its … Continue Reading