November 9, 2011

Mayor Rahm Emanuel Urges Passage of Map-21 Federal Transportation Law By Senate Environment and Public Works Committee

Bipartisan Proposal Maintains Funding to Repair Infrastructure

Mayor's Press Office    312.744.3334

Mayor Rahm Emanuel voiced his support for the passage of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) federal transportation bill by the United States Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, led by Senators Barbara Boxer (CA) and Jim Inhofe (OK).

“Repairing and maintaining our infrastructure is critical to creating jobs and maintaining the quality of life for people in Chicago,” said Mayor Emanuel.  “Passing this bipartisan bill will help support funding for needed infrastructure repairs and will help ensure we provide a solid foundation for our future.”

MAP-21 would provide approximately $50 billion in transportation infrastructure funding for two years, and would establish the Transportation Mobility Program, which will provide flexible funding for roads, bridges, transit, pedestrian and bicycle programs, including programs in Chicago that would be based on needs determined by local officials.

The law would also, for the first time, establish a national freight program and provide funding for the CREATE Program (Chicago Region Environment and Transportation Efficiency Program), a $3B freight rail improvement program developed by the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois and the Association of American Railroads.

“As the freight hub of the nation, this law will benefit Chicago and the northeastern Illinois region, but will also positively impact freight transportation across the nation,” said Mayor Emanuel. 

MAP-21 also increases funding for the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ). The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) uses funding obtained from this program for:

  • Downtown transit station rehabilitation;
  • Traffic signal interconnects, such as Irving Park from Western to US41/Lake Shore Drive; and
  • Bicycle programs such as the Bloomingdale Trail, Bike Sharing and the Lakefront Trail-Navy Pier Flyover.

“Passing this bill will allow us to shape our city’s future by creating programs that impact residents across Chicago,” said Mayor Emanuel.  “We look forward to working with Congress on package that further addresses our transportation needs.”

 

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