CREATE update: 71st Street underpass project breaks ground
Written by jrood
Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3), Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, Bridgeview, Illinois Mayor Steven Landek and CREATE partners joined together at a groundbreaking ceremony for a $27 million underpass to take 71st St. under the Indiana Harbor Belt/CSXT railroad tracks adjacent to Toyota Park. This project will create 290 jobs, eliminate long delays for drivers, enhance safety and improve air quality. "Not only will this project create hundreds of jobs at a time when jobs are desperately needed, it will permanently eliminate delays and improve safety for the thousands of people that pass through this crossing on a daily basis," Congressman Lipinski said. "I'm very pleased to have helped secure funding for the 71st St. underpass." The 71st St. underpass is part of the CREATE rail modernization program. Congressman Lipinski is a leading advocate for CREATE, having obtained the first $100 million in federal funding for the project in 2005. He led the Illinois Congressional delegation in supporting Illinois' TIGER grant application, which yielded $80 million for other CREATE projects throughout the Chicago region.
