Quincy Reporter

Ramps at the U.S. Route 34/67 interchange near Monmouth will be closed for the next six weekends for the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to complete a pavement patching and resurfacing project.

Illinois State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) warned drivers about the upcoming ramp closures in a July 20 Facebook post.

"U.S. 34/67 ramp work begins July 22," Tracy wrote in the post. "The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that pavement patching and resurfacing on the ramps at the U.S. 34/67 interchange near Monmouth begins July 22."

The ramps will be closed simultaneously from 6 p.m. Fridays through 6 a.m. Mondays and detours will be posted, according to a press release. The project is expected to be finished by Aug. 29.

Tracy recently called upon lawmakers to place a cap on the state's gas tax, according to the Galesburg Reporter. She also criticized Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) for being complacent with temporary tax relief by delaying the two-cent fuel tax increase by six months.

The Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Association stated on its website that the only revenue source for road and bridge improvements comes from the Motor Fuel Tax, or gas tax. Combined, the state and federal gas taxes equal about 37.4 cents a gallon. Drivers also face a combination of local and state sales tax when they buy fuel.

The association also noted that a Department of Transportation report estimated road and bridge maintenance and improvements would require all levels of government to spend roughly $105 billion each year, according to the IRTBA website.