March 09, 2023

Duckworth, Durbin Announce $350 Million Slated for CTA Red Line Extension

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that $350 million has been slated from the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to help continue the progress on the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) Red Line Extension project. The Red Line Extension is one of the 18 major transit projects recommended for funding today in President Biden’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Budget Request to Congress.

“No matter their zip code, Chicagoans deserve easier access to public transit to get to school, get to work and more easily move throughout the city,” Duckworth said. “I commend the Biden Administration’s continued support of this vital project for Chicago’s South Side, and I’ll keep working with Senator Durbin to do all that we can to help improve transit development and access for all Chicagoans.”

“Tens of thousands of Chicago residents, many of whom are low income, rely on the Red Line as their sole transportation option,” said Durbin. “This transformative project will provide long-awaited relief for the South Side community. Improving our infrastructure means better-connecting Chicagoans to jobs, education, commerce, and opportunity. I commend President Biden for this federal effort that will serve as a catalyst for economic development in Chicago and will work with Senator Duckworth and the rest of the delegation to see it through and signed into law.”

“The inclusion of this significant level of funding in the President’s Budget Recommendation is a reflection of the importance of the Red Line Extension project—not solely as a necessary transportation investment, but as project that meets the Biden Administration’s goals for infrastructure investments that foster equity and inclusion,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “This funding is vital in ensuring this transformative project continues on its path toward reality and we extend our appreciation to the Biden Administration, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Buttigieg, FTA Administrator Fernandez, and especially to Senators Duckworth and Durbin for their strong support of this life-changing project.”

Duckworth and Durbin have been strong supporters of the Red Line Extension project. Last month they called on DOT and the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to provide the project with the maximum 60 percent federal cost share for which it is eligible.

The Red Line Extension from 95th Street to 130th Street will provide much-needed transit access for tens of thousands of residents on Chicago’s South Side. The 5.6 mile extension is the first rail transit extension in Chicago in 30 years. The project also will provide an economic boost, producing an estimated 25,000 jobs in the coming years, while generating nearly $2 billion in pay to workers on the project, and more than $5 billion in total business output.

Funding for today’s announcement would come through the Capital Investments Grant Program, one of the federal government’s primary grant programs supporting new large transit capital projects that are locally planned, implemented and operated, which was recommended for $2.9 billion in funding in President Biden’s FY 2024 Budget Request to Congress. Funding for this project will be secured after Congress approves FY2024 spending and votes to pass appropriation bills and President Biden signs the funding into law.

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