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WASHINGTON,
D.C. – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), State Senator Susan Garrett
and State Representatives Rosemary Mulligan and Elaine Nekritz today continued
their efforts to secure funding for railroad crossings in Des Plaines to
increase safety and relieve delays.
In
a letter to Illinois’s Secretary of Transportation Timothy Martin, they
requested “that two railroad crossings in Des Plaines be added to the
list of the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency
(CREATE) program’s planned grade separations: Thacker Street at Union
Pacific Railroad and Des Plaines River Road at Union Pacific Railroad.”
Below
is the letter to Secretary Martin:
March
3, 2004
Dear
Secretary Martin:
We
are writing to request that two railroad crossings in Des Plaines be added
to the list of the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency
(CREATE) program’s planned grade separations: Thacker Street at Union
Pacific Railroad and Des Plaines River Road at Union Pacific Railroad.
Des
Plaines is a point of significant train congestion and is unique in the
metropolitan area since it is home to the Deval Tower station where three
rail lines come together. Each day, an average of 59 freight trains and
74 commuter trains pass through Des Plaines. There is a serious need
to ease conflicts with other forms of transportation in the area.
There
are 33 at-grade railroad crossings in Des Plaines. This causes severe motor
vehicle congestion, delays and pollution, while creating serious safety
problems. Emergency vehicles are often delayed by trains, and the
at-grade crossings are a safety hazard for motorists and pedestrians.
We
applaud the CREATE program’s plan to reduce the problems caused by increased
railroad traffic in the Chicago region and look forward to participating
in its projects. Given the large numbers of at-grade crossings and
the high volume of train traffic in Des Plaines, we are concerned that
there are no projects in or even near the city to help relieve the delays.
We
hope that you will give every consideration to including these two crossings
in the grade separation projects. |
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