By the numbers
Mike Fitzgerald of the Belleville News-Democrat has an interesting investigative report on the money already spent by the state of Illinois for the stalled new bridge over the Mississippi River connecting Illinois and St. Louis. The original plan called for an 8 lane bridge paid for by federal transportation funds, Illinois funds and Missouri funds. Missouri has recently balked and wants their portion paid through bridge tolls while Illinois officials and the governor have said, "never" to tolls.
3 million: spent to buy land or property access rights in the past 3 years, taking these properties off the tax roles.
$606,000: paid to Paul Siddle for 3 parcels in East St. Louis, who bought part back.
$22,140: Taxes paid by Siddle in 2004
$801: Taxes paid by Siddle in 2005
$80 million: Paid by IDOT preparing for the new bridge -- including engineering and environmental studies, the relocation of railroad tracks and archeological excavations.
$239 million: Federal dollars earmarked for this project which must be salvaged by the end of the year or lost.
$450 million: Alternate bridge plan proposed by Illinois which would be a 4 lane connector bridge along side the present MLK bridge.
$0: Missouri's answer to the alternate plan.
2 comments:
This is just another example of how Tim Martin is utterly worthless as Secretary of Transportation - if the project was in Chicago, it would be a done deal. Martin has destroyed IDOT and he should be ousted - along with Blago!
i agree Tim needs to go but not before charges are filed against him. Maybe the bridge would go if Sam Flood sold some groung
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