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Illinois farmers have long benefited from our robust transportation network. This exclusive network of highways, railways and waterways exists nowhere else in the world and allows Illinois products a competitive economic advantage in the global marketplace.
Rural bridges are one of the foundations of this network. This critical infrastructure allows farmers access from the field to their destination point for delivery.
However, often a bridge’s foundation is under stress because of deferred maintenance and poor condition. Recent estimates show that approximately 8.5% of Illinois bridges have elements that are rated poor or worse.
The Illinois repair backlog includes 2,273 bridges identified as structurally deficient and an additional 1,191 bridges with posted restrictions on size and weight of vehicles that can use them.
The estimated cost to repair these bridges is $4.8 billion. This cost is continually growing, and the need for repairs has become critical.
| Risk to ag production from rural bridges | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Soybean Production | Structurally Obsolete | Structurally Deficient | |||
| McLean | 20,182,000 | 43 | 7% | 19 | 3% |
| Champaign | 19,515,000 | 26 | 4% | 45 | 6% |
| Livingston | 18,517,000 | 22 | 4% | 49 | 9% |
| Iroquois | 16,416,000 | 29 | 5% | 81 | 14% |
| Vermilion | 14,056,000 | 31 | 6% | 34 | 7% |
| LaSalle | 13,315,000 | 41 | 8% | 55 | 10% |
| Sangamon | 12,883,000 | 24 | 5% | 26 | 6% |
| Christian | 12,417,000 | 32 | 10% | 57 | 18% |
| Shelby | 11,843,000 | 44 | 13% | 32 | 9% |
| Henry | 11,508,000 | 27 | 8% | 21 | 6% |
| Edgar | 10,878,000 | 8 | 3% | 10 | 4% |
| Bureau | 10,830,000 | 42 | 11% | 63 | 17% |
| Hancock | 10,480,000 | 42 | 14% | 60 | 20% |
The poor condition of these rural bridges impacts Illinois farmers directly through increased costs to take products to market and a reduction in the resiliency of our transportation network, both of which erode our global competitive advantage.
Something must be done to continue to allow Illinois farmers to excel. We have the product; the way of taking it to the end destination is just as vital.
Recently, the state and federal funds have become available to address these transportation network resiliency issues including the REBUILD Illinois and federal infrastructure bill.
There is a proven opportunity to streamline and accelerate implementing the repair and rehabilitation of our rural bridges through bundling the projects and using economies of scale by issuing a single contract for the replacement, rehabilitation, or repair of multiple bridges to reduce costs.
The Illinois Soybean Association checkoff program has been engaged in a public outreach and education program directed at transportation stakeholders and local decision makers on the merits of bridge bundling.
We have convened a series of six educational webinars and multiple one-on-one interviews with neighboring transportation agencies and contractors that have implemented successful bridge bundling programs to understand how a program in Illinois could work.
Momentum for this innovative solution is building across Illinois as agricultural groups and local transportation officials actively discuss how the state could use bridge bundling to address problems with rural bridges.
Recently, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced that it is developing a pilot program that will use bridge bundling for state projects with the first contracts being put out for bid in the spring of 2022.
Chicago Metropolitan Area Planning announced a program for northeast Illinois bridges, and local leaders in Boone and McHenry counties are developing a bridge bundling program for their counties.
The ISA checkoff program is continuing our work. We analyzed the inventory of bridges that needed repairs and now understand that 68% of all bridges and 95% of bridges that are rated as fair or poor in Illinois are owned or maintained at the municipal or county level.
You can follow our efforts at www.ilsoy.org/bridge-bundling, and contact us today to let us know about a rural bridge in your area.
Because at the ISA we understand that growing a superior product isn’t enough. We’ve also got to deliver it to the world efficiently, safely and reliably.
Todd Main is the Illinois Soybean Association director of market development.