Dear Neighbor,
I am pleased report the Loyola “L” Station will soon see major improvements, ensuring the safety of passengers and pedestrians, as the result of $11 million in federal funding secured by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin.
I joined Senator Durbin, CTA Board Chairman Terry Peterson, and representatives of Loyola University, and the Rogers Park Business Alliance at the Loyola “L” station today to announce $11 million in federal funds to begin immediate repairs to the dilapidated Loyola “L” Station. Also joining me at the announcement were Aldermen Patrick O’Connor and Harry Osterman and state legislators Heather Steans and Kelly Cassidy.
The design work for the Loyola “L” station project is already underway and construction is slated to begin in the spring of 2012.
Senator Durbin, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured $10 million in federal funding for the project in the fiscal year 2010 Transportation and Housing Appropriations Bill, and $1 million in theSafe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA-LU).
The project is the result of a federal, state, and local public-private partnership which brought together theFederal Transit Administration, the CTA, Loyola University, and the Rogers Park community to make desperately needed improvements to this station and bring it back to a state of good repair. Thousands of local residents and students and commuters use the station every day, and this funding will ensure their safety and make certain that the station is able to continue serving the transportation needs of the community for years to come.
The funds will help stabilize the existing infrastructure and make strategic upgrades to the Loyola “L” station and redirect passenger flow for pedestrian safety. The project will include upgrades to the viaduct and improved lighting and visibility.
The plans also call for moving the station entrance farther north and creating a plaza in front of the reoriented station entrance, increasing safety for pedestrians by keeping them away from vehicular traffic. The plans for the plaza are still in the very preliminary stages. As soon as final agreements have been made to acquire some properties immediately north of the station entrance, I will host a community meeting with the CTA andLoyola University to present the preliminary plans for your input and review.
Funding through the SAFETEA-LU legislation will be used for land acquisition, and roadway and pedestrian improvements around the station.
The announced upgrades to the Loyola “L” station comes on the heels of the recently completed construction of the new Howard “L” station. Opened to critical acclaim in 2009, the new Howard “L” station was a $40 million-plus project funded with federal, CTA and TIF funds. Though the Loyola “L” station will not be a “new” station such as the Howard station, the upgrades will represent a noticeable improvement.
The Loyola “L” station’s problems are systematic of problems all across the Red Line, which is why the federal funds announced today by Senator Durbin are so important. On behalf of my community, I’d like to thank Senator Durbin for securing this needed federal assistance.
In view of the current political climate in Washington, additional federal funds for mass transit will be hard to come by. However, I will continue to work closely with our federal, state and local elected officials to do everything I can to generate additional funds for needed improvements to the Jarvis and Morse stations, as well as other stations along the CTA’s Red Line.
Sincerely,
Joe Moore
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