AASHTO Journal - Illinois DOT Celebrates New Testing, Training Centers

The Illinois Department of Transportation recently opened a new Materials Testing and Research Center on the grounds of its headquarters in Springfield, IL, while also starting construction on a new Traffic Incident Management or TIM training center in collaboration with the Illinois State Police.

[Above photo by Illinois DOT]

Illinois DOT said its new $63 million Materials Testing and Research Center – which it started building in late 2024 – will “continue to propel the state forward” in the highway construction materials sector, while helping to ensure the public is getting value and durability with road and bridge projects.

“High-quality construction materials are at the foundation of almost everything we are doing,” said Gia Biagi, Illinois DOT secretary, in a statement. “This new lab and research facility immediately becomes one of our most important assets at IDOT, inspiring us to deliver the most modern, innovative projects we can for the people of Illinois”

Built under the supervision of the Capital Development Board, the new building stretches across 81,000 square feet, nearly half of which is dedicated lab space. The building will also house the agency’s Bureau of Research offices and library; its Bureau of Programming’s traffic instrumentation laboratory; meeting rooms; a loading dock; and the materials lab for Illinois DOT’s District 6, which serves 15 counties in Central Illinois.

Through those lab facilities, Illinois DOT will test a wide range of construction materials, including asphalt, concrete, crushed stone, sand, gravel, soil, steel reinforcement, structural fasteners, bridge components, pavement marking and striping materials, reflective sign sheeting, and many more.

The new center is also accredited in more than 100 test methods by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, which develops standards and protocols for the country’s state departments of transportation.

Meanwhile, the Illinois DOT just began construction on a new $14 million TIM training facility in Pawnee, IL, in partnership with the Illinois State Police to provide first responders and highway workers with high-risk roadside incident training.

[Watch a video of the new site by clicking here.]

Illinois DOT said the new TIM center will be a “state-of-the-art training” facility that aims to help emergency responders safely clear traffic incidents so that traffic flow can be restored as quickly as possible. The track will replicate the complexities of real roadways and provide a safe, controlled environment to conduct scenario-based training, the agency noted.