But because of inflated costs, Illinois 'is getting much less construction per dollar,' according to Department of Transportation chief, and contractors find it difficult to estimate costs of new projects; they are seeking escalator clauses in contracts

statistical information pertinent to use of escalator clauses and providing possible financial relief through renegotiation of existing contracts. They want to retain full free enterprise status and don't want the State poking around in their books."

While it is generally understood that escalator clauses could be included in new contracts through administrative action by the State DOT and the Governor, the renegotiation of contracts would require action by the legislature. Senate Bill 1678 was introduced in 1974 by State Sen. John Davidson (R., Springfield) to provide this relief, but no hearings were held on it.

Paving contractors seeking relief are getting moral support from important sources, including bankers, from whom they obtain performance bonds. In 1974, Bond called a conference on the subject which was attended by a congressman, seven members of the State legislature, representatives of the federal DOT and the Illinois DOT, contractors' groups, bankers, materials firms, the Illinois Toll Road Authority and others.

After the conference, which was held in suburban Chicago, Bond appointed a five-man committee to study the construction prices problem. Ralph Brown, deputy state chief highway engineer until his retirement a year ago, is chair- man. Another member is Marshall Thompson, professor of highway engineering at the University of Illinois.

Supplemental freeways progressing well
Bond expects all of Illinois' 1,728 mile share of the interstate system to be completed by late in 1977, with the exception of the Crosstown expressway in Chicago and 1-255, a 20.9-mile beltline around the southeast quadrant of East St. Louis. Both projects are embroiled in controversy and possibly may not be built.

A good start is being made on Illinois' proposed 1,950 miles of supplemental freeways, Bond reports. These are being built to interstate standards and the present plan is to finance them mainly with bond money authorized by the General Assembly in the Transportation Bond Act for a total of $800 million.

Of this $800 million total, $124 million already has been obligated, Bond said. Farthest along is Federal Aid Project (FAP) 408, the Springfield- Quincy route, he reported; contracts have been let for the Springfield- Jacksonville part of the route and big sections of this are under construction. Engineering work and right-of-way acquisition are in progress on the section from Jacksonville to Winchester, with a start made on that work from Winchester to Quincy.,

Construction also is underway on FAP 406 from Morton to Lincoln, with a short section of the route already in use. Parts of FAP 409 between bast St. Louis and Carlyle are under construction, as is a portion of FAP 413 between Murphysboro and East St. Louis. Other construction is in progress on FAP 403 between Sterling-Rock Falls and Rock Island-Moline. This route will carry the East-West tollway extension, now being built between Aurora and Sterling, to a connection with 1-80 at the Quad Cities; both are scheduled for completion in 1976.

A slower start is being made on the longer FAP 412 which will generally follow U.S. 51, linking I-90 at Rockford to I-57 near Salem. This route will fill in a gap in interstate routes linking Seattle with New Orleans; that traffic now must go over to Chicago via I-90 and diagonally back southwest across the state to Cairo Engineering design work is now in progress by consulting firms on the portion from Rockford to LaSalle, and $300.000 is in the fiscal 1975 budget right-of-way acquisition. Route location has been determined on the remainder of the route and preliminary engineering work is underway on much of the south portion. Bond reports.

Political road building
Bond and Gov. Dan Walker have been critical of Republican leadership in the legislature which, with some Democratic help, has been passing bills to set priorities on freeway routes "by putting projects, section by section in the last two years" in legislation. Critics of this action see it as the first major departure from a reform adopted by the legislature in 1949 to "get away from political road building."

That policy was adopted by the General Assembly in response to a recommendation by the 1947-1948 Highway Study Commission chaired by Lt. Gov. Hugh Cross. Legislators of that period welcomed the change from the old practice of legislating highway projects; it relieved them of tough pressures from their constituents to get all the highway work they could for their own districts.

In hearings on recent bills Bond has warned against returning to the old discarded practice and advocated basing priority of projects on professional determination of traffic volumes, economic development and other criteria of need. Sponsors of the bills have said they were not returning to political road building, but merely sought to give Gov. Walker a shove toward placing more emphasis on freeway development than he started out to do in the beginning of his administration.

One billion for highways
The highway construction program which Bond now heads has for some years been one of the largest in the United States. For fiscal 1975 work totaling an estimated $642 million is scheduled, and for fiscal 1974 the figure was $622 million, up from $297 million in 1973. Highway construction in Illinois has been a $100 million business for the last quarter century, and with current inflation could teach one billion dollars by 1980.

Illinois Issues/February 1975/55