A shortage of capital funding has delayed repairs on thousands of Illinois bridges, causing many of them to fall below acceptable safety standards, state transportation officials said Tuesday.

Some 1,400 bridges statewide are in worse condition than the Interstate 35 bridge in Minneapolis prior to its collapse into the Mississippi River one year ago.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich called on state lawmakers to pass a capital improvement bill that would fund major bridge and highway repairs in addition to generating money for education and public housing.

“It is the first duty of government to provide for the public safety of its citizens,” said Gov. Blagojevich. “We’re going to make sure that the bridges they ride on, the bridges they drive on, the roads they travel on, will be safe.”

Officials with the Illinois Department of Transportation said the current state budget constrains their ability to effectively manage major bridge improvement projects. IDOT Department of Highways Director Christine Reed said major stretches of Chicago highways, including parts of Lake Shore Drive and Interstate 55, are in need of significant repairs that have only been met with temporary fixes.

“Without a major investment of capital, we’re simply filling potholes and trying to stay ahead of the deterioration,” Reed said. “Our roads are in the worst condition they’ve ever been in the state of Illinois. Our bridges are being repaired and rehabbed as we can afford to fund them, but our bridges need to be replaced.”

Blagojevich plans to meet with state legislators Thursday in an attempt to reach a compromise that would help generate further investment in large-scale infrastructure projects. Illinois Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago), Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson (R-Greenville) and House Minority Leader Tom Cross (R-Kendall) are expected to attend, but House Speaker Michael Madigan will most likely be absent, according to a spokesman.

Blagojevich and Madigan have historically disagreed on how best to raise money to fund public projects. Madigan and a coalition of House Democrats have united against several of the governor’s revenue-creating proposals, including plans to expand gambling and lease out the state lottery, said House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D- Chicago), who prefers a “modest increase in state income tax” to fill the void.

The disagreements have effectively stalled the progress of capital initiatives that would otherwise be acceptable to House Democrats, Currie said. “The issue is 'How do you fund this program?', not whether we ought to fund this program.”

Blagojevich said he believes compromise is possible. “All we’ve got to do is get the House Democratic leadership to put aside whatever differences they have … and come to the table, work on the substance with us, and let’s get something done that everyone claims they’re for,” the governor said.

Currie and House Deputy Majority Leader Gary Hannig ( D-Litchfield)are expected to attend Thursday’s meeting in Madigan’s place.

Illinois has not passed a capital bill in more than nine years, despite recent efforts by Blagojevich and state senators. Two proposals have passed the Senate since September, but each failed to get sufficient support in the House.

Currie said she is receptive to new ideas but remains skeptical that the governor’s plans will be different enough for the House to find them acceptable.

“I have not seen any evidence that people are prepared to compromise,” she said. “My sense is that the governor and the Senate say, ‘We’ve already done our job; you should just go along.’ And there’s not a lot of support in the House to do that.”