Illinois Department of Transportation


The Illinois Department of Transportation is a state agency in charge of state-maintained public roadways of the U.S. state of Illinois. In addition, IDOT provides funding for rail, public transit and airport projects and administers fuel tax and federal funding to local jurisdictions in the state. The Secretary of Transportation reports to the Governor of Illinois. IDOT is headquartered in unincorporated Sangamon County, located near the state capital, Springfield. In addition, the IDOT Division of Highways has offices in nine locations throughout the state.
The mission of IDOT is to provide safe, cost-effective transportation for Illinois in ways that enhance quality of life, promote economic prosperity and demonstrate respect for the environment.

Organization

As of February 2009, the Illinois Department of Transportation was divided into the following offices and divisions:
Offices
Divisions
The Illinois Department of Transportation was created by the 77th Illinois General Assembly on January 1972. The department absorbed the functions of the former Department of Public Works and Buildings, acquired some planning and safety inspection functions of other state agencies, and received responsibility for state assistance to local mass transportation agencies such as the Chicago-area Regional Transportation Authority, which was in the process of being formed at this time. The Division of Aeronautics was added in 1973.
On June 18, 2005, IDOT became the first state transportation agency to achieve certification for 23 key processes located in the Central Administrative Office and regional District Six. On July 6, 2006, that certification was expanded to encompass all processes involved in the planning, design, and construction of road and bridge improvements, maintenance of roads and bridges, and administrative oversight in the Central Administrative Office and District Six. An official with IDOT, John D. Baranzelli, wrote a book called Making Government Great Again on the transition to ISO9001:2008 standards in July 2009 for the American Society for Quality publication arm.
In the spring of 2014, it was reported that IDOT had engaged in patronage hiring of numerous staff assistants - Ann Schneider resigning following this scandal. Schneider claimed that the improper hires were "recommended to me or my staff by the governor’s office," specifically Chief of Staff Jack Lavin.