The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has branded Illinois with a C- average grade on the states infrastructure. Illinois Corn Growers Association President Gary Hudson said that’s no surprise to corn farmers who depend on roads, bridges, rails and the state’s waterways for their family businesses.

ICGA President Gary Hudson led a team of Illinois corn farmers in Washington, DC, recently. The need for improved and new infrastructure was the number one priority for that group. With regard to the ASCE report released on April 2, 2014, Hudson commented:

“Our inland waterways transportation system, specifically the locks and dams on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, is in deplorable condition. The ASCE report doesn’t surprise us. IL Corn has been pressing our elected officials to make transportation infrastructure a priority for quite some time now. Our locks and dams are over 70 years old and are literally crumbing into the River. Roads and bridges are littered with potholes and failing support systems. Illinois ought to be in a competitive advantage situation to move our commodity products like corn to market. Instead, we’re at a disadvantage not just in this country, but really in the world. We hope that this C- grade from ASCE gets the attention of folks in Springfield and Washington so that our infrastructure can get the attention it deserves.”

To read more about the 2014 Report Card for Illinois’ Infrastructure please visit http://www.isasce.org/index.php/report-card.

The full report card can be found at http://www.isasce.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/2014-Illinois-Infrastructure-2Page-Report-Card.pdf