October 03, 2019

Duckworth Attends Inaugural Run of Metra Trains at New Fox River Bridge After Helping Secure Project’s Federal Funding

 

[ELGIN, IL] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined Metra officials for the inaugural run of trains over the new Z-100 Fox River Bridge in Elgin, Illinois. Duckworth has been a long-time supporter of the project, helping Metra secure $14 million in federal funding through the TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant program, now BUILD (Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development) grant program, for the new double-track bridge that will eliminate a bottleneck for Metra’s Milwaukee District West Line trains and freight trains. Photos from today’s event are available here.

“Investing in our state’s infrastructure is one of the most important things we can do to move Illinois forward,” Duckworth said. “The new Z-100 Fox River Bridge will improve safety and relieve rail congestion. I will continue working to secure federal resources for projects like this and other critical infrastructure projects across the state that spur local economic development and create good-paying jobs here in Elgin and throughout Illinois.”

“Completing this bridge will improve the reliability, performance and operational flexibility of the Milwaukee District West Line, and also improve our ability to expand service in the future to meet the needs of both passenger and freight service,” said Metra CEO/Executive Director Jim Derwinski. “I would like to thank our representatives in Congress, particularly Sen. Duckworth. I can say with confidence that we would not have been able to fund this work and complete this bridge without her tireless advocacy on our behalf. We are extremely grateful for her help.”

When Duckworth was in the U.S. House of Representatives, she led a Congressional coalition in sending a letter of support for the project, later attending the groundbreaking of the bridge in 2017. As a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Duckworth oversees issues related to the nation’s transportation systems and infrastructure projects and works to ensure Illinois receives adequate funding from the federal government to rebuild and modernize state infrastructure and transportation systems.

The former Fox River Bridge was built in 1881 and was the only remaining single-track segment of the line into Chicago, which caused significant delays for 54 Metra trains and up to eight freight trains that pass over it each day.

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