February 2020 – Annual Newsletter

Over $19 million in Grants Secured for CREATE Projects

In June, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the CREATE Program $19 million to construct the Dolton Junction Interlocking (WA11) in Dolton and Riverdale. This project will help ease rail congestion in the south suburbs and far south side of Chicago. This funding was awarded through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Grant Program. 

“This important investment will not only improve rail speed and service reliability, it will help keep passengers, drivers and pedestrians safe. It also creates good paying jobs for the people of Dolton and the Southside of Chicago.” – U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, in response to the Dolton Junction Interlocking receiving a CRISI Grant

The partners also received a $500,000 Invest in Cook grant to support final design for the 95th  Street and Union Pacific grade separation (GS21a). Each day, 24,000 vehicles and more than 700 CTA and Pace buses pass through the crossing and face delay when trains are present. This project will reduce roadway congestion, improve safety and eliminate the potential for collisions between vehicles and trains.

Last October, Governor JB Pritzker and Senator Richard Durbin joined CREATE partners including Illinois Department of Transportation Acting Secretary Omer Osman, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, City of Chicago Deputy Mayor for Infrastructure and Services Anne Sheahan, Association of American Railroads President Ian Jefferies, Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Public Library representatives, community leaders and residents to announce support for education programs for students and residents as part of the 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project (75th St. CIP). The CREATE partners are committed to supporting community programs in the project area to encourage students’ interest in transportation, engineering and technical fields throughout the design and construction of the 75th St. CIP. In November, professionals working on the 75th St. CIP began visiting schools, leading classroom exercises on railroad safety, bridges and structures and pathways to careers in engineering and related fields. Additionally, CREATE partners are hosting field trips for middle school students and company visits for high school students. The Junior Mentor Protégé Internship program that hires young adults for paid internships at firms working on the 75th St. CIP will graduate its first group in summer 2020. Learn more at 75thcip.org.

2019 was an exciting year for project advancement. In April, CREATE partners and U.S. Congressman Daniel Lipinski (IL-3) gathered in Summit, IL to break ground on the Argo Connections (B9). This project will benefit the 116 freight trains, six Metra trains (Heritage Corridor) and 10 Amtrak trains (Lincoln and Texas Eagle Services) that traverse this corridor daily. The new double-track connection will allow speeds of 25 mph, providing for increased flexibility for dispatchers and reduced time switching train cars destined for local industry. Once complete, this project will also allow access to the future main train tracks around Clearing Yard (EW1) on the planned new East-West Corridor.

As the nation’s rail hub, it’s important that Chicago maintains a world class railroad system designed to meet the growing demands of both freight and passenger rail. Completing CREATE’s Western Avenue Corridor Project will support more fluid railroad operations.” – Jason Jenkins, BNSF Railway’s Chicago Division General Manager

Shortly after the Argo Connections groundbreaking, the CREATE partners and BNSF Railway celebrated the completion of the BNSF Connection project (WA4). This project eliminates train delays by adding new tracks and creating a new direct connection between BNSF’s Corwith and Cicero Yards. It also provides new connections between the CN Freeport Subdivision and the Western Avenue Corridor along which the BNSF, Norfolk Southern, CSX and Union Pacific Railroads all operate. Before this project, freight trains had to travel longer indirect routings to make these connections. With the completion of this BNSF Connection project, half of the eight CREATE projects along the Western Avenue Corridor are now in service.

To date, 30 CREATE projects have been completed, with four more projects under construction and 17 in various stages of planning and design.