While Springfield lawmakers wallow in their budget woes, a local elected official is crying foul over what he says is a waste of taxpayer dollars.
News 25's Eric Shangraw reports on the overpass work on Interstate–55 in McLean County.

Construction crews at more than half a dozen overpasses and signed areas on I–55 between North Normal and the Livingston County line are building new crash barriers and rail guards.
It is a million dollar project being done by Stark Construction.
Seems routine enough.
But just two weeks ago the state paid to haul in black dirt, have it graded, and seeded.
Just as the grass is starting to emerge, the sights are being dug up.
Forms are in place to pour concrete pads for the crash barriers.
Chenoa Mayor Walt Hetman, who drives the stretch of highway daily for his job in Bloomington, says it's a classic case of wasteful spending by the State of Illinois.

"I've seen them paint the underneath of the overpass. Then I saw them haul the dirt in underneath it. Spread it out and fix it up. Seed it to look good. And then today I drive through there and I've noticed all this dirt that they've put in there they have dug up," said Hetman.

An IDOT Construction Engineer says the work is not disturbing anything. And that there are state deadlines for when you have to plant grass seed and the contractor is simply following the rules. In other words, when you do business with the state, sometimes you are forced to put the cart before the horse.

"They waste money by putting dirt down just so somebody else can dig it up. It just makes no sense to me," said Hetman.

Most construction projects finish with the landscape and seeding phase.
In this case, it was done first, causing consternation for a small town mayor and any Illinois taxpayer who cares.