Plans Finalized For Englewood Railroad Flyover Bridge
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Relief may be around the bend for thousands of Metra's Rock Island line commuters accustomed to big delays caused by the railroad traffic bottleneck on Chicago's South Side.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Steve Miller reports, the Englewood Flyover project is now a done deal, and construction could start within months. The overpass of railroad bridges is designed to end big delays on Metra's Rock Island line and on freight lines that pass through the area.
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The triple-tracked bridge would have included a possible additional track for a potential high-speed intercity train, according to published reports.
"The Englewood Flyover will solve one of the worst congestion problems in the Chicago area on our rail lines," said U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.)
Lipinski says construction will create more than 1,400 jobs.
The future looked bleak for the project earlier this year. In February, U.S. House Republicans zeroed out funding for the project.
But the project was revived using stimulus funds set aside for high-speed rail, and a final agreement was signed Wednesday, according to multiple reports.
The $133 million project is expected to be finished in two or three years.
