Kankakee Times

The Kankakee River Valley will receive approximately $8 million for its transportation systems, Rep. Lindsay Parkhurst (R-Kankakee) said. 

The funds were a part of a $112 million project through the Department of Transportation program called Rebuild Illinois. The entirety of the funds was distributed to more than 30 various transportation providers throughout Illinois.  

"The bus stops here! I am pleased to announce I was able to secure an $8 million grant for Kankakee River Valley Metro for bus stations, bus shelters, and maintenance facilities under Rebuild Illinois," Parkhurst said in a November Facebook post. "I fought hard to ensure the 79th District received funds for critical projects like this one." 

Rep. Lindsay Parkhurst (R-Kankakee) | Courtesy Photo

Gov. J.B. Pritzker welcomed the bipartisan legislation to find the needed funding. 

"I worked with state representatives and senators from both sides of the aisle to create the bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan — the largest infrastructure investment in our state's history," Pritzker said in the transportation department release. "Due to decades of underinvestment by previous administrations, roads, bridges, and transit systems across the state, especially in downstate Illinois, are in desperate need of repair." 

Rebuild Illinois is a six-year, $33.2 billion project created to renovate Illinois' aged transportation systems. It is the largest capital program in the state's history, and its job creation and economic growth will tackle roads, bridges, waterways, railroads, aviation, and more. Other projects include purchasing new vehicles, as well as renovating bus stations, and maintenance of various facilities. 

"Over the next five years, downstate communities will receive $121 million to improve and expand transit services — that's on top of the work that's already been done in Year One, which delivered $2.7 billion in improvements to over 1,700 miles of highway and over 120 bridges statewide," the governor said in the release. "These projects will improve the quality of life for downstate residents and provide good jobs to grow our economy in every region."