|
The 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project is the largest
undertaking by the group Chicago Region Environmental and
Transportation Efficiency, or CREATE, and involves a partnership
with the Illinois Department of Transportation, Federal Highway
Administration, the Chicago Department of Transportation, Cook
County Department of Transportation and Highways, and the
Association of American Railroads.
“Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Biden-Harris
administration is carrying out ambitious, complex transportation
projects that will shape our country’s infrastructure for
generations to come,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete
Buttigieg said in a statement.
As part of the project, improvements are being made to the
largest rail choke point in the region at Belt Junction. The
project will use over $485 million from public and private
investments and will involve miles of new and relocated railroad
track and the construction of four new rail bridges.
A third track also will be added to the Norfolk Southern line,
with the project overall reducing congestion for approximately
90 freight trains and 30 Metra commuter trains that utilize the
railway on a daily basis.
“These are transformational investments that will enhance rail
efficiency, reduce congestion, promote growth up and down the
state and, of course, across the country,” said Gov. J.B.
Pritzker.
Illinois has a rail network consisting of approximately 9,982
miles of railroad tracks, 7,792 of which are operated by Class I
railroads, primarily BNSF Railway and the Union Pacific
Railroad.
The 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project is expected to be
completed in 2025. |
|
