NORMAL — Politicians, union representatives and laborers rallied for more funding for road and bridge repairs Saturday a few feet from a yellow school bus that appeared to have been crushed by concrete from an ill-maintained bridge.
But the "concrete" — actually carved from foam — and the bus, which is a prop, were part of a national campaign called “Getting Schooled in Infrastructure,” organized by the Laborers' International Union of North America. The rally was Saturday at the Illinois State University Alumni Center parking lot.
The group wants lawmakers to pass a long-term, fully invested highway bill that would create and protect jobs and improve the safety of roads across the country.
“This isn't rocket science. This is how we ought to be spending our federal money,” said U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, a Republican from Taylorville.
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The federal gas tax generates money for the Highway Trust Fund, which states use to pay for road and bridge projects. That fund is expected to run out this fall, according to LIUNA.
Davis, whose 13th District includes central and southwestern Illinois, said the creation of labor and construction jobs will have a lasting impact on the economy.
The conditions of roads and highways are vital to business growth, said Bill Lawrence, chairman of the McLean County Chamber of Commerce and owner of PLR Insurance Services.
“We have one of the best infrastructures in the world, yet it is falling apart. We not only need to fund this stuff but also take the roadblocks out of the way,” he said.
Joe Thornton, co-owner of Thornton Rave Construction in Bloomington, said his company would benefit and grow if more road and bridge projects were funded by the government.
“This roads bill is critical to us. We employ 50 people in the region and I would love to employ 50 more,” Thornton said.
The issue is not about politics, but safety and business growth, said John Penn of Bloomington, Midwest region vice president of LIUNA.
“Our streets are in major, major need of repair,” he said “There are times when I leave this town and I drive down the middle of the street to avoid all of the potholes.”
