DECATUR — Mike Newgent knows Central Illinois highways — and their shortcomings — as well as anyone. 

As a Lanman Transportation truck driver delivering fuel to gas stations throughout the region, Newgent has used state roads every day for the past 19 years. That’s why he’s excited for a new plan detailed by the Illinois Department of Transportation last week to spend $23 billion fixing the state’s roads and bridges by 2025. 

The investment was a major campaign platform for the first-time governor, following years of limited funding from Springfield and a disagreement about a revenue stream. The construction budget for the first year by itself is $3.76 billion, a 68% increase over this year.

Funding will come from federal sources, bond proceeds, ongoing state revenues and local governments. 

Drivers, lawmakers and transportation officials for years have called for investment in the state’s aging infrastructure, though there had been disagreement about how to pay for the work. 

"Some roads they’ve patched so much that you just have to get over into the other lane to keep from jarring your teeth out," Newgent said. "A lot of the work is necessary stuff that needs to be done to keep up with the traffic."

Newgent uses the route to deliver to Marathon Gas, 101 E. Pershing Road. He also uses several of the other roads included in the plan such as Interstate 72 and Illinois 121 to make his usual four to five daily deliveries. His truck by law can weigh a total of 80,000 pounds and can carry 8,500 gallons of gas and 7,500 gallons of diesel fuel.  

"These trucks are just constantly pounding the pavement," he said. "What the general public doesn’t understand is all of those cracks fill with water and then it freezes, and it breaks up a lot of the road — and then you have the trucks pounding it, which doesn’t help." 

Guy Tridgell, IDOT’s director of communications, said the multi-year plan is the first that fully embraces an asset management approach, relying on data collected out in the field to help guide decision-making and programming projects. 

"The percentage of truck traffic as part of the overall average daily traffic volumes is a major consideration in selecting which projects to advance," Tridgell said in an email. "We believe this plan is definitely going to help improve safety and create economic opportunity in those areas where trucking and freight activity are a critical part of the local economy." 

In Decatur, economic leaders for years have sought to market the area’s viability as a transportation hub for goods. Ryan McCrady, president of the Economic Development Corporation of Decatur and Macon County, said it is important to keep the area’s infrastructure maintained. 

"One of the big advantages Decatur has for business is access to toll-free, congestion-free roadways that allows them to move freight and product out and to bring raw materials in very seamlessly," McCrady said. "Trucking companies use more fuel than the rest of us and they are paying more for this infrastructure." 

McCrady also said he appreciated the efforts by local lawmakers to help bring money back into the county. 

Macon County Chairman Kevin Greenfield said he was thankful to the legislators as well, particularly efforts put forth by state Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill. 

"It goes without question that the city gets blamed for roads that are out of their control like (U.S.) 51," Greenfield said. "But what people don’t realize is that it is actually the state’s responsibility, so I am appreciative of Sen. Manar’s efforts to get us this funding."

Tridgell said the multi-year plan is a blueprint of the projects IDOT would complete over the next years and one is released every year. The first year represents that year’s annual program and requires the approval of the General Assembly. It is the only one considered fully funded while subsequent years are not. 

"It is too early to tell exact specs of the projects that currently are not programmed for FY20," Tridgell said. "Construction plans for the vast majority of those have not been finalized."