On Monday U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood stopped by Chicago to participate in a groundbreaking for a new federally-funded rail project that will ultimately make Chicago the nation's transportation hub when it comes to freight and commuter trains.
"This project will break up the bottleneck that currently exist for trains traveling through here," Lahood said. "Projects like this one are exactly why President Obama has made transportation such a big part of the American Jobs Act,” LaHood said. “We have workers on site today, American factories producing news supplies, and when the project is completed, people and goods will move more quickly and easily through the Midwest, making the region a better place to start a business or hire new workers.”
The $133 million Englewood Flyover consists of building a bridge to carry three Rock Island District Line tracks over the four Norfolk-Southern tracks, relieving more than 7,500 hours in delay that Metra passengers experience annually. The bridge, when complete in spring 2014, will also include room underneath to accommodate additional tracks for expanded 110-mph Amtrak service from Chicago to Detroit, Cleveland and the East Coast.
And by reducing train tie-ups at the rail intersection in Englewood, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said it should also improve the prospects for a planned network of high-speed passenger trains connecting eight states.
"Not only will this project create 1,400 new jobs but it will also lay the foundation for high-speed rail too," Quinn said. “The Englewood Flyover will make life easier for tens of thousands of commuters every day and put people to work immediately. This vital project will eliminate a problem spot and set the stage for future passenger rail growth while boosting Illinois’ position at the economic engine of the Midwest.”
Jobs, jobs, jobs is what U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) said a project like this creates.
"This project is about jobs. If we are going to continue creating jobs and growing our economy, we need more of these projects, not fewer," Durbin said.
Currently, more than 500 freight and 700 commuter trains share Chicago-area tracks each day, and Quinn added that freight rail companies have complained for years that it can take a day or more to maneuver trains at a crawl through Chicago.
U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL), whose district includes the Englewood community, said he wants to make sure residents of the economically challenged community are among those hired to work on the project.
“This new railway will open up countless opportunities for minority businesses,” Rush said. “(And) I will be working hard to ensure that businesses and residents of the first congressional district will be afforded every opportunity to work and obtain contracts.”
Another need the project could meet is reducing air pollution, which Cochran and Rush attributes to the high asthma rate in Englewood.
“Englewood has the highest asthma rate in Chicago,” stated Cochran. “When trains get backed up they sit idle, releasing toxic fumes from their engines, which creates an unhealthy environment especially for children.”
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