​IDOT Shuts Down 2 Projects in Evanston Over Budget Impasse

Evanston, IL - A pair of capital improvement projects planned in Evanston this year will be halted at the end of the month, the Evanston Review reports.

The projects to add a protected bike lane along Dodge Avenue and make safety improvements at the busy Emerson/Ridge/Green Bay intersection in north Evanston will come to a close on June 30, a spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Transportation told Evanston City Council members this week.

Both projects were being paid for through federal grants funneled by IDOT, which cited the ongoing state budget stalemate as the reason for the shutdown. It’s unclear when work will begin again.

"We have started to inform our industry partners that all of our projects in both construction and engineering phases will be shutting down starting June 30 due to the majority party in the legislature's failure to pass a balanced budget," according to a statement from IDOT.

Evanston 4th Ward Ald. Don Wilson called the move “outrageous.”

"If (Mike) Madigan did this, (Bruce) Rauner did this, you know, we need to let the people in Springfield know that they all need to do their jobs,” he said. “They need to go there and do their jobs and not leave this hanging out there to dry."

More via the Evanston Review