HR0675 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0675 LRB098 14607 GRL 49543 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Chicago Transit Authority is proposing a 5.3-mile extension of the Red Line from the existing 95th Street Terminal to the vicinity of 130th Street; and

WHEREAS, The proposed extension would include 4 new stations near 103rd Street, 111th Street, Michigan Avenue, and 130th Street; each new station would include bus and parking facilities; and

WHEREAS, Following the Red Line Extension Project open house meeting during the summer of 2011, the agency began work on a technical analysis of the project and a Draft Environmental Impact Statement on behalf of the Federal Transit Administration, which serves as the federal lead agency for the project; and

WHEREAS, The Red Line Extension Project would reduce travel times to jobs for far South Side and South Suburban residents and improve the performance of the existing Red Line 95th Street Station terminal; the project would also support current and future economic development initiatives; and

WHEREAS, The Red Line Extension Project is needed for many reasons, including the lack of Park and Ride and passenger drop off and poor pedestrian facilities, which limit access to the existing 95th Street terminal of the Red Line; lengthy delays experienced by customers who access the existing terminal facility by bus, caused by the poor performance of surrounding arterial intersections, insufficient space for bus loading and unloading, and insufficient space for bus layovers; congested bus and passenger conditions at the existing terminal station and bus facility, which result in safety issues and diminish the attractiveness of transit as an alternative to other travel modes; the adverse impact of narrow arterial streets and frequent at-grade freight rail crossings on roadway performance in the study area; and the nature of transit dependence of minority and low-income populations in the study area; and

WHEREAS, Discussion of a Red Line Extension has been going on since Mayor Richard J. Daley proposed it and many other infrastructure improvement plans for the Chicago area in April of 1967; planners and community groups have discussed the necessity and benefits of the extension in the intervening years, but have received no tangible information as to its construction; and

WHEREAS, In 2007, the Regional Equity Subcommittee of the Illinois House of Representatives' Mass Transit Committee held a comprehensive subject matter hearing on transportation equity in the south suburbs of Chicago; the hearing shone a light on the Red Line Extension and other transportation projects and issues where, seemingly, resources were spent in areas other than the south side and southern suburbs; and

WHEREAS, It has been the policy and priority of many General Assembly members in the affected areas to call into question the Chicago Transit Authority's commitment to this long overdue project and have not seen any funding allocated to the Red Line extension in the Chicago Transit Authority's 2014 budget; many elected officials and members of the community have shown patience, but now want financial, planning, and programmatic commitments from the Chicago Transit Authority to make the Red Line Extension a top priority; and

WHEREAS, While Chicago Transit Authority officials say the extension is a top priority, the agency has not established a timeline for building the 5.3 miles of new track or any of the proposed 4 new stations; and

WHEREAS, By making firm financial commitments and setting specific dates, the Chicago Transit Authority would see increased credibility in the project area and would provide hope and confidence to taxpayers on the South Side and in the south suburbs that the Chicago Transit Authority is indeed concerned about all of the citizens in its service area; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Chicago Transit Authority to prioritize and expedite the planning and construction of the Red Line Extension Project in order to provide far South Side and South Suburban residents with the transportation and economic development benefits expected from the completion of this project; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the Chicago Transit Authority.