Repair Money on the Way

By Tim State in News on Apr 5, 2009 7:00PM

Image by live_w_mcs.

Gov. Quinn and Mayor Daley announced yesterday that the city of Chicago will be receiving $200 million to repair potholes and make street repairs. The money will be enough for 100 miles of street and bridge repairs. The state is pitching in $40 million, which the City can leverage to get another $150 from the federal government.

Chicago has not received federal funding for street repairs since 2006. Besides the road repair funds, Chicago’s mass transit is to receive $900 million from the state.

The CTA is set to receive $495.9 million, with $173 million earmarked for new hybrid buses and $87 million for a mid-life overhaul of existing buses. Another $113 million is going for Red Line track replacement, $48 million for Red Line substations, $25.5 million for Brown Line substations; $22.5 million on rail station renovations and $27.5 million on bus garage renovations, officials said.

Metra wants to use its $290.7 million to buy 160 new cars for the Metra Electric line, a project with an estimated tab of $585 million, according to agency officials.

Pace wants to use its $68.4 million to buy new buses, vans, paratransit vehicles and equipment, and to overhaul engines on buses in its fleet, officials said. There's also $45 million set aside for paratransit, officials said. [Trib]