SPRINGFIELD— The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that Illinois is receiving federal funds to boost infrastructure for alternative fuel vehicles on Interstate 80. The grant, which will target electric vehicles and vehicles that run on natural gas, is part of a larger effort to build a mid-America alternative fuel corridor spanning six states.
“These improvements will help make interstate travel on alternative fuel a reality,” said Acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “By working with federal, state and local partners, we are keeping Illinois infrastructure ahead of the curve while making travel more efficient and environmentally friendly.”
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The $70,000 in federal funds will be matched by $10,000 each from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa and Illinois. The funds will be used to identify and fill gaps in the availability of fueling and charging facilities on I-80 and develop public-private partnerships with businesses, such as gas stations and truck stops, to host and promote these facilities.
At just over 2,900 miles, I-80 is the country’s second-longest interstate and a major passenger and freight corridor. The eastern half of I-80, known as the Mid-America Corridor, stretches from New Jersey through Illinois to the Iowa-Nebraska border, crossing a dozen interstates and passing through counties with a combined population of roughly 19 million. This stretch of I-80 sees traffic volumes in excess of 8,500 trucks a day, making it one of the two most heavily traveled transcontinental corridors in the nation.
Illinois is joined in this multistate collaboration by Illinois-based Argonne National Laboratory and Trillium, a Love’s Company based in Texas.
IDOT received funding for the project as a winner of the Federal Highway Administration’s National Planning Awards through the Alternative Fuels Corridor program.
