March 05, 2020

Duckworth, Durbin Host Chicago Infrastructure Meeting

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (D-IL-06), Chuy Garcia (D-IL04), Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), and Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), today met with Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) Commissioner Jamie Rhee, Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) Commissioner Gia Biagi, and Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) President Dorval Carter to discuss infrastructure priorities in Chicago. The group discussed funding to help address the impacts of climate change on the Chicago lakeshore, the CTA Red and Purple Modernization Project (RPM), the CTA Red Line Extension Project, and ongoing improvements at O’Hare International Airport.

“Investing in Chicago’s infrastructure helps create jobs and improve one of the world’s finest cities. I’m pleased with the progress being made to upgrade and expand the CTA, and will continue to look for ways the federal government can assist the city,” Durbin said.

“Transportation infrastructure has long served as the foundation of our communities and a cornerstone for our economic prosperity,” Duckworth said.  “Modernizing our roadways, bridges, airports and transit systems is critical to the future vitality of the City of Chicago and the region. It was a pleasure to meet with Commissioner Biagi, Commissioner Rhee and President Carter on their shared multi-modal vision for the future of transportation in Chicago, and I’ll keep working with Senator Durbin and the Illinois delegation to secure additional support at the federal level for these critical projects.”

Durbin helped authorize the Great Lakes Resiliency Study in the 2018 Water Resources and Development Act, which would map out a comprehensive plan to manage and protect 5,200 miles of Great Lakes coastline. Durbin has also helped direct $185 million to the Chicago Shoreline Project which built structural reaches to protect Lake Shore Drive and the Chicago Shoreline.

The RPM Project, now a full decade into planning, will rebuild the century-old Red and Purple Line track structure and stations north of Belmont.  Durbin attended the groundbreaking for Phase I this past October, and helped secure more than $1 billion in federal funds for RPM, of which $956 million came from the Core Capacity Program Durbin created as a member of the MAP-21 transportation bill in 2012.

In 2018, Durbin and Duckworth also announced $1.48 million to support the planning of the CTA’s proposed Red Line extension, which proposes to connect the 95th Street/Dan Ryan Terminal to 130th Street.

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