In One Week All Illinois Construction May Come to a Hault

And we think I-74 is a pain to deal with now.

Thanks to the budget crisis and stand still in Illinois, all construction projects, including John Deere Road and the essential I-74 bridge project, will start shutting down next week if a budget isn't passed.

That can't be making Iowans too thrilled (not to mention, keeping that rivalry 'thing' Iowa/Illinois has ongoing). Both Iowa and Illinois have pitched in on the I-74 project, with federal approval. This is going to put a dent in this ongoing, 20 year project. My brain can't even wrap around the cluster it will be if every thing stops right now.

In an email sent to KWQC.com from the Illinois DOT,

“..all of our projects in both construction and engineering phases will be shutting down starting June 30 due to the majority party in the legislature’s failure to pass a balanced budget.”

The State of Illinois has exactly one week to get their act together and make some decisions quickly. This also means I-80, I-88, and John Deere Road projects will make traveling pretty much nightmarish.

This is always why I end up going back to one major legalization issue with this state. They've put themselves in a massive crisis they can't dig themselves out of. I've said it before and I'll say it again. If they legalize marijuana like Colorado has, the budget won't be an issue for the State of Illinois. Sadly, it seems to be one of the last viable options.