TRUCK ACCESS ROUTE PROGRAM By WILLIAM T. SUNLEY, Engineer of Local Roads and Streets

During development of the 1989 gas tax package, the Illinois Department of Transportation recognized that local highway agencies had some very specific areas of concern. The gas tax package created eight additional programs, totaling $115,000,000 over five years, to benefit local governments in addressing these specific concerns. Counties benefited from three of the programs, townships benefited from one, cities benefited from two of the programs, and all agencies could benefit from two of the programs. These additional funds were above the revenue shared by the department and local governments from the $0.06 motor fuel tax increase.

One of the programs that could benefit all local agencies is the Truck Access Route (TAR) program. This program was created to encourage local access to the Designated State Highway Route System for 80,000 pound trucks. Routes would be designated as heavy truck routes by the local governments, and capital improvements on these truck routes would be eligible for funding from this program. The TAR program granted to local governments, on a project by project basis, $20,000 per lane mile and $10,000 per intersection not to exceed 50% of the final construction cost. This level of funding would not cover the total cost to rebuild a road, but would assist in covering the cost to increase the pavement thickness to handle the 80,000 pound truck weights.

One of the requirements of the TAR program was that the subject roadway must have access to another 80,000 pound truck route and have a generator for truck needs. This program was funded at $5,000,000 per year for 5 years ending with FY94.

Local governments began using this program very slowly at first. Therefore in FY93, the County Engineers Association, the Illinois Road Commissioners, and the Illinois Municipal League supported a transfer of $2,500,000 from the TAR program to the Economic Development Program, another program from which all agencies could benefit.

Utilization of the TAR program has increased dramatically in the last two years. Now, at the beginning of the last state fiscal year of the 5 year program, all $22,500,000 of the TAR program has been used to build projects or is committed to fund projects in the upcoming fiscal year. Over 170 local agency projects have or will utilize funding from the TAR program.

The future of this program is uncertain. The Department of Transportation is unable, at this time, to commit to funding the TAR program beyond FY94. Much depends upon the level of funding states actually receive from the federal aid highway program in upcoming federal fiscal years. A decision on the TAR funding for state FY95 will be made later this year, after more is known about the federal funding level for the upcoming year.

Those agreements for future TAR funded projects that have been received by the Bureau of Local Roads and Streets will be returned with an explanation that funding is uncertain at this time.

Hopefully the Department will be able to continue funding for what now has become a very well received program.

August 1993 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 15