Issue Position: Fighting Traffic Gridlock

Issue Position

Issue Position: Fighting Traffic Gridlock

"I will continue to fight for highway and transit funds that relieve traffic congestion, preserve our quality of life and protect our environment." Congressman Mark Kirk

Pushing for a State Capital Plan

Congressman Kirk continues to pressure state legislators to enact a capital plan in order to unlock $9 billion in federal funding waiting for state matching funds. Through a number of public press conferences and letters to the General Assembly, Congressman Kirk is engaging voters and legislators to stand up to the General Assembly leadership and demand that no federal dollar be left on the table.

"As energy prices soar and work commutes stretch into hours, now is not the time for Illinois to be foregoing federal transportation dollars. My colleagues in Congress and I worked to secure the largest amount of federal transportation infrastructure funding for Illinois in the state's history. If the state fails to enact a capital plan it will risk losing more than $9 billion according to the Governor's own estimates. This is unacceptable. Our state leaders must set aside their partisan politics and personal grudges and pass a capital plan." Congressman Kirk

Expanding Metra and Public Transit

Congressman Kirk recently introduced the Creating Opportunities to Motivate Mass-transit Utilization To Encourage Ridership (COMMUTER) Act to offer a 50 percent tax credit for all free transit benefits companies provide to their employees.

"The average Chicagoan spends $1,620 in gasoline costs for the work commute each year. By offering businesses the same kind of incentives for providing transit benefits as health care benefits, we can save the average family thousands of dollars at the pump." Congressman Kirk

Congressman Kirk continues to work with the Illinois delegation to secure billions for the expansion and enhancement of Metra throughout the Chicago region. Congressman Kirk is working closely with Metra to ensure funding and other federal support to construct the new Suburban Transit Access Route (STAR) Line, which will provide crucial public transit access connecting the western suburbs to O'Hare International Airport.

Congressman Kirk helped secure $135 million in federal funds to expand service on the North Central Rail line from 10 to 20 trains each day. Metra's expanded service has helped reduce gridlock on the Kennedy Expressway and the northwest Toll-way by providing commuters in Arlington Heights, Vernon Hills, Mt. Prospect, Prospect Heights and Libertyville with connections downtown and to O'Hare.

"Our North Central service is the first new American commuter rail line in over 50 years. Funding for this service is one of my proudest achievements in Congress and will improve quality of life for northern Illinois families." Congressman Kirk

New Traffic Control Center

Congressman Kirk secured $3.6 million in federal funding to build the new Lake County Traffic Management Center located in Libertyville. Using fiber optics, computers and cameras to control major stoplights in Lake County, the center will help reduce traffic gridlock. The state-of-the-art system will adjust the 150 Lake County traffic signals currently online for weather, time-of-day, season changes and accidents.

February 28, 2006

Where every lane is the fast lane

Officials say the county's new traffic management center, unveiled Monday, will allow engineers to synchronize and adjust lights, reroute traffic around accidents and even cut the rush-hour commute. "The old joke about Half Day Road being 'All Day Road' will become a part of our memory," said U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), who helped snare $3.6 million in federal funds for the project while he was a member of the House Transportation Committee.

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