Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17), U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a total of $25,415,095 in U.S. Department of Transportation funding for the Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District (MetroLINK) and the Greater Peoria Mass Transit District. Of that funding, $10,000,000 will be awarded to MetroLINK and $14,415,095 will be awarded to the Greater Peoria Mass Transit District.
MetroLINK will use its funding to expand its operations and maintenance center to build capacity to continue its transition to battery-electric buses. The project includes constructing battery-electric storage areas with fire and hazard mitigation equipment and will help prepare MetroLINK to store electric buses and improve safety. The Greater Peoria Mass Transit District will use its funding to buy battery-electric buses to replace diesel-engine vehicles. The project will lower emissions, increase safety, and provide more reliable transportation to underserved communities in Peoria and the surrounding areas.
"My neighbors deserve access to safe and affordable public transit options that keep our air clean. The new fleet of electric buses that will be coming to Rock Island and Peoria will help us reduce our carbon footprint and create more sustainable communities for future generations,” said Sorensen. “I'm proud to see millions of our tax dollars coming back home to make our communities a better place to live, work, and start and family."
“These awards will support more sustainable and reliable transportation in Illinois,” said Durbin. “With this funding, Rock Island and Peoria Counties and the surrounding areas will see improved equipment and an expansion of battery-electric buses, making public transportation cleaner for our state’s communities. I’m pleased to see this major investment in Illinois’ infrastructure.”
“Increasing the number of zero-emission and low-emission busses protects the health of our communities and our state,” Duckworth said. “I’m proud to see this funding help support a cleaner, safer future for Illinoisans and the next generation throughout the Quad Cities and Peoria. I will continue working alongside Senator Durbin and Congressman Sorensen to ensure our communities receive the much-needed federal resources they deserve.”
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