(Heart of Illinois ABC) – Supply chain shortages aren’t just leaving store shelves empty. They could be putting you at risk on the road.
Local highway departments are struggling to keep projects on schedule, after years of backlog for materials like steel and concrete. Back in April, IDOT said it was focusing on major projects for Region Three this summer, including the McClugage Bridge and Pinecrest Drive in Tazewell County. But the delays are leaving agencies in need for more than supplies.
“It’s not just Central Illinois, this is happening in a lot of places,” says Amy McLaren, County Engineer with the Peoria County Highway Department.
From paint for striping, to steel and equipment parts, everything is running low, including employees. A shortage of materials like concrete and steel were already an ongoing issue for a number of years. Construction equipment is on backlog, with waits of up to a year for new items. That combination of factors has caused a 20% increase in delays this year alone.
The Tazewell County Highway Department says the shortage even has the potential to make driving more dangerous.
“If you don’t have proper traffic control devices, according to the manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices put out by the Highway Administration, then theoretically there’s issues,” says Daniel Parr, County Engineer with the Tazewell County Highway Department.
One of the biggest requirements when prioritizing safety is the need for regular check-ups, especially for sites like bridges that demand more frequent attention.
“We’re aware of those locations that need extra monitoring,” says McLaren. “That’s probably the most important thing, is those bridge sites.”
Many local road work projects were delayed during the pandemic. Now, new rounds of funding are coming in to support a revival, only to get canceled out by costly undertakings. One argument is the attention on roads is shrinking at higher levels of government, both state and federal.
“It seems like the national political pendulum is swinging back and forth so much,” says Parr. “To me, that’s the main driver behind all of this.”
For the time being, getting work done means prioritizing project efficiency, and taking care of the most immediate tasks that matter.
“We’re hoping this was a blip, and we can move forward for the rest of the construction season,” says McLaren.
In a statement response from IDOT, a department spokesperson says they “continue to monitor and evaluate the material needs of all of our projects.”
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