Governor Quinn Announces $30 Million <i>Illinois Jobs Now!</i> Capital Project in Pekin

PEKIN - January 12, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn was joined by Pekin city officials today to announce plans to complete a section of Veterans Drive in Pekin. The $30 million project, which is funded by the “Illinois Jobs Now! plan, is expected to create approximately 250 construction jobs.

“Illinois Jobs Now! is doing exactly what it was designed to do – it is improving our roads and schools while creating jobs across Illinois,” said Governor Quinn. “With this funding, the important Veterans Drive project can get underway, bringing with it new jobs and private investment to the area.”

In 1996, the city became interested in diverting IL Route 9 traffic to the VFW Corridor. Though the project was not feasible at the time, funding through the “Illinois Jobs Now! program will enable the city to proceed with diverting IL Route 9 traffic to the VFW corridor, creating a more direct route for motorists travelling in the Pekin area.

The first phase of the project, researching the preferred alignment for the improvement, has been completed. The second phase, which includes land acquisition, is currently underway. Construction on the project is expected to begin in 2011.

“This project is a great example of the difference that the “Illinois Jobs Now! program is making in communities around the state,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig. “This project has been talked about for over a decade and with this new funding it will soon become a reality, improving traffic flow and creating jobs for the area.”

In addition to the $31 billion “Illinois Jobs Now! program, signed in July 2009, Governor Quinn signed the $3 billion Jump Start capital plan, which is also designed to help revive the state’s ailing economy and create and retain hundreds of thousands of jobs during the next six years.