Thursday, Dec 12, 2024 – Posted by Isabel Miller
* I asked Governor Pritzker yesterday at an unrelated news conference whether Gia Biagi’s appointment as transportation secretary signals a shift toward a more pedestrian- and bike-friendly IDOT…
It certainly signals that we’re in a new era at IDOT. As you know, one of my goals is to make sure that we are focused on all the projects that are lined up that need to get done. And we’ve had some challenges during COVID, as you know, just broadly in the labor market it was hard to find people to do the jobs are necessary, including especially engineers. And so one of the things that I think that Gia will be very good at is focusing on speeding up that process and making sure that we’re delivering on all the promises that have been made by the Rebuild Illinois program.
We’ve done an awful lot, I want to be clear. I could cite all of the miles, lane miles that have been rebuilt and bridges, which I always love to do in the airports and our water ports. But we want to make sure that those projects get done in a timely fashion. And she’s going to do a great job.
* Background on Biagi from the Sun-Times…
Biagi left [Chicago’s] Transportation Department in August 2023, early in Mayor Brandon Johnson‘s administration. She had taken heat for Lightfoot’s decision to reduce the ticketing threshold for Chicago speed cameras.
But she also took credit for adding 100 miles of bike lanes and implementing pedestrian safety projects at more than 1,000 high-crash intersections. Biagi also expanded the city’s Divvy bike-share program into every neighborhood and developed a “mobility and economic hardship index” to prioritize infrastructure investments.
After leaving CDOT, she returned to the Chicago architecture firm Studio Gang, where she took a leadership post.
* Daily Herald…
In the metro area, Biagi will inherit some major infrastructure projects, including the Kennedy Expressway widening and rebuilding I-80 in Will County.
“Investments in our critical infrastructure connect our residents to the places they need to go, create jobs, and improve the quality of life in communities in every corner of our state,” Biagi said.
* Yesterday, the governor was asked if he’s satisfied with the pace of construction on the Kennedy Expressway…
Never, I mean, really, anybody that sat on the Kennedy, right? I mean you’re constantly feeling it. I mean, it’s a years long problem that’s gone on. There is a schedule that they’re on now, I don’t want to make promises about because we’ve all heard promises and they haven’t been delivered on in the past, with regard to the Kennedy.
But I will say I’ve asked an awful lot of questions about it, and so I would expect that the work will continue at a rapid pace.
* Some social media react…
