{"id":17524,"date":"2025-09-03T14:53:06","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T19:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/?p=17524"},"modified":"2025-09-03T14:53:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T19:53:47","slug":"bill-proposes-prioritizing-rural-road-repair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/17524-bill-proposes-prioritizing-rural-road-repair\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill Proposes Prioritizing Rural Road Repair"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By TAMMIE SLOUP FarmWeek<\/em><\/p>\n

Rural road obstacles such as potholes and weight-restricted bridges for those hauling grain and other farm equipment often leads to repair costs and increased travel times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Former truck driver and U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, recently introduced legislation that prioritizes federal highway funds to repair and enhance rural roads and bridges critical to farmers and agricultural industries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Illinois Farm Bureau supports the Agricultural and Rural Roads Improvement Program Act (HR4585), which was introduced July 22 by Bost, who sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure and Ag committees. IFB members and staff, as well as representatives from other impacted industries, joined Bost at a Rural Roads Roundtable Aug. 25 at the Jasper County Farm Bureau to share their experiences and learn more about the bill.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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While federal surface transportation dollars are funneled to states, counties and townships typically only receive a small piece of the money, Bost said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Bost<\/div>\n
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Jasper County Farm Bureau members and representatives from local government and other industry groups met with U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, Aug. 25 at the Jasper County Farm Bureau office to discuss rural road issues and new legislation Bost is proposing to help fix the issue. (Photo by Tammie Sloup)<\/em><\/div>\n
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\u201cThis bill directs funding specifically so that last mile or the first mile can actually be invested in so they can make the moves that they need to make while moving grain or moving fertilizer,\u201d Bost told FarmWeek following the roundtable, adding these routes are just as important as the highways they lead to.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The new rural roads program targets crucial improvements in the first- and last-mile connections between farms and local agricultural facilities. By addressing aging roads and weight-restricted bridges, the initiative aims to directly help farmers and rural businesses save time, reduce transportation costs and safely deliver their products.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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According to the proposed bill, the program will:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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  • Improve first- and last-mile access to farms and to facilities producing, supplying, storing and transporting agricultural inputs and products<\/li>\n
  • Reduce the number of weight-limited bridges and capacity-limited local roads in rural communities<\/li>\n
  • Improve the safety, resiliency and efficiency of the local roads and rural minor collectors that are essential to a strong American agricultural sector and a vibrant rural economy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
    Roundtable attendees shared stories of gaping potholes and sink holes on rural truck routes, as well as blown tires and suspension issues on vehicles. Jasper County Farm Bureau President Mike Evans confirmed the deterioration of rural roads has hampered farmers\u2019 ability to move grain in a timely manner.<\/div>\n
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    \u201cWe\u2019re having trouble,\u201d he told FarmWeek. \u201cEquipment took a big jump in the last 10 or so years in size and weight, and it\u2019s hard to get the equipment where we need to be. And it\u2019s getting worse.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Bost stressed the legislation does not involve new funding, but prioritizing federal funding to bolster ag and rural transportation infrastructure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    IFB Associate Director of Transportation and Infrastructure Rodney Knittel said IFB appreciates Bost\u2019s leadership in making sure rural infrastructure gets the investment it needs to keep Illinois agriculture moving forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    \u201cFarmers depend on safe and reliable rural roads and local bridges every day to move crops, livestock and equipment,\u201d Knittel said. \u201cCongressman Bost\u2019s Agricultural and Rural Roads Improvement Program Act recognizes that many of these routes aren\u2019t eligible for traditional federal funding.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    The roundtable included attendees from IFB, Total Grain Marketing, Jasper County Farm Bureau, Illinois Trucking Association, The Fertilizer Institute, Grain and Feed Association of Illinois, Consolidated Grain and Barge, Bunge and local government officials.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Earlier in the day, Bost also met with Marion County Farm Bureau members to discuss the impact of the approved budget reconciliation bill, which strengthens the farm safety net, invests in biofuels and extends key tax incentives such as the estate tax.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    By TAMMIE SLOUP FarmWeek Rural road obstacles such as potholes and weight-restricted bridges for those hauling grain and other farm equipment often leads to repair costs and increased travel […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBill Proposes Prioritizing Rural Road Repair - Effingham's News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Effingham's News and Sports Leader\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thexradio.com\/news\/local-news\/17524-bill-proposes-prioritizing-rural-road-repair\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bill Proposes Prioritizing Rural Road Repair - 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