Chicago Construction News staff writer
The Illinois Department of Transportation has received a $4.5 million Federal Highway Administration grant to develop a new digital system that will improve efficiencies and safety as well as modernize administration of future construction projects to reduce reports and allowing for 3D modeling and aerial surveying.. The grant is one of 10 awarded to 35 states.
Funding will enable IDOT to establish a digital network to share information on upcoming projects, which will reduce the use of paper reports, allow for 3D modeling and aerial surveying to improve accuracy and increase efficiency of data collection for other state and local agencies to access electronically. Other benefits include reducing worker exposure by decreasing surveying activity in work zones and environmentally sensitive areas.
Over the next six years, IDOT is planning to improve more than 3,000 miles of highway and nearly 10 million square feet of bridge deck as part of the Rebuild Illinois.
Passed in 2019, Rebuild Illinois is investing a total of $33.2 billion over six years into the state’s aging transportation system, creating jobs and promoting economic growth. It’s not only the largest capital program in state history, but also the first that touches all modes of transportation: roads and bridges, transit, waterways, freight and passenger rail, aviation, and bicycle and pedestrian accommodations.
For more information on IDOT projects, click here.
