Transportation

Illinoisans can now get driver’s licenses and state ID cards that comply with Real ID, the strict federal security requirements that will soon be needed for air travel.

With paychecks for federal workers in Bloomington-Normal still lagging, the Central Illinois Regional Airport has opened a food pantry and support center.

Bloomington Normal's bus system could have a downtown Bloomington transfer center in about five years.

The Normal Town Council has appointed a Commerce Bank vice president to the Bloomington-Normal Airport Authority board.

The Bloomington City Council will consider a $4 million summer street resurfacing program at its meeting Monday evening.

Some of the worst road surfaces in Bloomington-Normal will get badly needed repairs this month, according to Bloomington's Public Works director.

State Farm Insurance is announcing an auto rate decrease for Illinois. The Bloomington-based company says the average decline for Illinois rate payers will be 2.9 percent.

The Illinois Department of Transportation is giving Bloomington-Normal's bus system $250,000.

The Trump administration's offer to address the DACA problem of childhood immigrants comes with too steep a price tag for many Democrats.

Connect Transit plans to hire its interim general manager as its next general manager.

Waiting at a bus stop in the near future could be easier with the addition of new bus shelters in Bloomington-Normal.

Connect Transit made progress at Tuesday’s meeting with the plan to build 10 new shelters this fall. Community engagement sessions highlighted the public desire for shelters, benches, and additional sidewalk at bus stops in the area.

Connect Transit chose locations based on the number of riders at each bus stop location.

A Connect Transit cut in services to some people with disabilities is getting some pushback.

Connect Transit recently eliminated tripper service to some edge-of-town housing. This had the effect of reducing the area the government mandates the system serve with Connect Mobility, a service for those with physical access challenges.

The City of Bloomington's Public Works director and members of the Historic Preservation Commission have reached a compromise on a draft revision of the city's Brick Streets Master Plan.

After a fierce battle over bicycle lanes for Washington Street, the final chapter in the process Monday was anticlimactic.

Opponents scarcely showed up, and the Bloomington City Council gave unanimous approval, 9-0.

Connect Transit expects up to a 7 percent increase in use of its Connect Mobility service next month. That's because the YWCA is shutting down its Medivan program.

The YWCA made that choice because state funding was unreliable and the program was on pace to operate at a $120,000 per year deficit.

The Bloomington Planning Commission supports bike lanes along Washington Street. Residents testified on both sides of the amendment to the Bloomington bike plan during a public hearing.

Unit Five Schools has helped postpone a decision on a low-income housing development in southwest Bloomington. The city council is asking for a financial impact study.

A new Pontiac Rail Station has opened to Amtrak service. State Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn said this is the latest of several station improvements on the Chicago to Saint Louis Corridor that will improve performance on the high speed rail corridor.   

“After years of construction along one of the busiest passenger rail corridors in the country, the benefits are beginning to show with beautiful new stations in our state’s great communities,” Secretary Blankenhorn said.

Illinois is observing its first-ever Distracted Driving Awareness Week The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and Triple-A created the initiative.

More than 300 law enforcement agencies in the state will focus on violations for distracted driving, including the Town of Normal.

McLean County and state and federal elected leaders hope a bike trail will eventually extend from the northern border to the south end of McLean County.

On Wednesday they dedicated a new eight mile stretch of the Constitution Trail extending along Route 66 from Normal to Towanda. U.S. Representative Darin LaHood (R-Dunlap) said he is sponsoring a bill to make Route 66 a national historic trail.

There's debate on the McLean County Board over how much priority to give improvements at an east side intersection.

County Board members agreed on more discussion for the $1.6 million project at Towanda Barnes and Ireland Grove roads.

Connect Transit in Bloomington Normal is facing a problem, an aging fleet of busses and capital money tied up in operations because the state isn't paying its share. Isaac Thorne is the Interim General Manager for the bus system.

"The majority of our busses are 2004, 2005 busses. And we have eight 1998s. We hope we can replace six in 2018 which would bring us down to needing seventeen," said Thorne.

The McLean County Coroner is continuing its investigation into a pedestrian death on Veterans Parkway.

Coroner Kathy Davis identified the man as 50-year-old Jeffery A. Darr. A preliminary autopsy indicates Darr died from injuries after being struck by a sport utility vehicle on Veterans Parkway, south of Shepard Road in Normal.

Darr was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:19 PM Friday. The Normal Police Department is also investigating the crash. Toxicology results are pending. 

Governor Bruce Rauner was in the Chicago suburbs Monday pushing to add toll-lanes to Interstate 55. He also took the opportunity to attack Illinois Democrats.