FASTLANE 2016 Attachment 2 Letters of support

In 2014, leaders and project stakeholders submitted letters of support for the Hamilton Road Connection Project, Bunn Street to Commerce Parkway. At that time, the City of Bloomington sought TIGER funding for the project. Those letters are presented below. For 2016, the City seeks funding instead of TIGER funding. Our leaders have been apprised of that change and remain in support.

U.S. Rep. Darrin LaHood was elected to the 18th Illinois Congressional District in a special election in 2015. Bloomington is pleased to add him to our list of project supporters, and his letter is included here.

The project area is in District 18, but it is, coincidentally, on the border of District 13, represented by Congressman Rodney Davis. We are grateful for Congressman Davis’s support.

April 23, 2014

Anthony Foxx Secretary of Transportation US Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE Washington DC 20590

Dear Secretary Foxx,

I support the City of Bloomington TIGER VI grant application for funding of the Hamilton Road (Bunn Street to Commerce Drive) Project in Bloomington, Illinois. This project has been a long term and strategic vision of the City of Bloomington for over fifteen year. The objective of this effort is to encourage east-west mobility, but this transportation link has been historically difficult to achieve due to the need to cross the Norfolk Southern Railroad. With the completion of this portion of Hamilton Road, a 7.2 mile, continuous east-west arterial, will be in place in the southern portion of the City. As the community continues to grow, Hamilton Road will provide access between existing employment centers and undeveloped land in unincorporated McLean County. The regional benefits of the project include: • More efficient movement of commuters, students, and goods. • Improving safety by closing the unsafe intersection of Morrissey Drive and Rhodes Lane near the Morrissey Drive at- grade crossing with NS. • Reducing traffic on substandard or over capacity roadways. • Promoting economic opportunities for development south and west of the Norfolk Southern Railroad. • Providing multi-modal transportation opportunities by connecting Constitution Trail with residential (Fox Creek Subdivision), recreational areas (State Farm Park), and employment centers (State Farm South Campus).

The completion of the Hamilton Road (Bunn Street to Commerce Drive) Project will provide better access to the State Farm South Campus and other nearby commercial and employment centers as studies have shown a: • Reduction in travel time in the City of 532,840 hours annually and • Reduction in traffic volumes of approximately 10% on the already congested Ireland Grove Road, IL 9, Morrissey Drive, and Hershey Road.

The completion of Hamilton Road as a safe and efficient arterial connection across Bloomington is a keystone project in achieving transportation, economic, and sustainability goals for the region established in the Long Range Plan 2040, and is a vital link to other programmed and planned projects. We respectfully request that the U.S. department of Transportation give favorable consideration to the award of TIGER 6 grant funding for the Hamilton Road project.

In accordance with the ethical principles outlined in Part 2 of the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act, I have evaluated this project and have determined that this the public interest and the interest of the citizens of the 44th Legislative District.

Sincerely,

WILLIAM E. BRADY State Senator – 44 th District