State aid for Red Line project

As a follow-up to Kate Lowe’s op-ed on Nov. 10 regarding the CTA’s proposed Red Line extension (“Don’t delay on Red Line extension”): I was at the table during discussions regarding a similarly funded program, the CTA’s Red-Purple Line modernization, and I want to share some additional context and background.

The Red-Purple Line transit tax increment financing was created due to a lack of funding from the state. To receive more than $1 billion in federal funding to support the first phase of the modernization project, the CTA and the city were required to provide a local funding match. In 2016, the General Assembly approved a new financial tool for this purpose known as transit tax increment financing. This new type of TIF was premised on a “value capture” concept for transit investments and provided the necessary funding to renovate the 100-plus-year-old CTA infrastructure, which is vital to the heartbeat of the city.

The Red Line extension will provide the same level of impact, dramatically improving travel times and access to opportunity. It will allow travelers between 130th Street and downtown to save up to 30 minutes each way and to connect to the extensive CTA rail network and reach additional neighborhoods and jobs. It will improve mobility in an area of the city with some of the longest commutes, and it will support economic development around these new stations, just as other major station investments across the city have.

With the state’s gas tax holiday coming to an end in January, I implore our Illinois elected officials to contribute to funding this significant transportation and equity investment for the region. The impact of this project will be felt beyond the boundaries of Chicago. South suburban residents will also benefit from improved mobility and travel times, and the economic activity driven by this $3.6 billion investment will have regional and state-level impacts.

Thanks to the efforts of Gov. J. B. Pritzker, the state is now in the position to assist with funding, and I urge the legislature to take the next steps to allocate state dollars to support the Red Line extension.

This extension will support the state’s economic engine by creating jobs, expanding economic development and industry, contributing to state coffers, and bringing people back to Chicago and Illinois to live, work, raise families and invest.

— Thomas M. Tunney, alderman, 44th Ward, Chicago