Planning and Building Or Rehabilitating Highways

Each year, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) develops a multi-year highway program which the governor presents to the General Assembly for approval.  The program specifies improvements IDOT intends to make on the state highway system over a five-year period.  The complexity of individual improvements will determine the amount of time a project remains "in the stream" from conceptualization to the beginning of construction.

The funded highway project process can involve as many as 55 steps and take many years to finish.  A major construction project involving a new highway, for instance, can take from five to 20 years to complete all the steps.  (See chart that follows.) Rehabilitating a highway may take up to five years, or more.  Completion of a project is dependent upon reviews by various federal, state and local governmental agencies, as well as public and private organizations, with which IDOT cooperates to complete various work phases.
  
The example on the other side of this brochure illustrates the process for completing a major highway rehabilitation project.  Engineering work is produced by IDOT engineers or outside consultants.  Actual construction is carried out by private construction companies, with oversight by IDOT engineers.

The publication of the highway program provides the public and media with the opportunity to review and respond to the listed projects.  Illinois citizens can express their opinion about construction projects at public hearings or by submitting comments at other times to state officials.  All public comments are taken into consideration and balanced with the need to improve safety, reduce congestion and support economic development.