Contact Contact

RTA Board approves capital amendment that adds three projects to five-year program to address safety, reliability, and bus electrification

March 22, 2022

Capital Amendment Blog 1110x545

The RTA Board in March approved adding three projects to the region’s five-year capital program that will focus on safety, reliability, and the fight against climate change. Each of these projects, and many more, can be explored in more detail on the redesigned RTAMS Capital Program page.

The RTA approves a five-year capital program as part of its budget process each year, but regularly considers amendments due to changes in funding or project needs. The three projects added to the 2022-2026 Capital Program total $3.24 million. Watch the March Board meeting or read more about each project below.


  • Cicero Grade Crossing: CTA and the Town of Cicero will improve the grade crossing on the Pink Line at the intersection of Cicero Ave. and 21st Changes to this grade crossing are a priority for CTA and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) due to several safety incidents at the grade crossing that have put CTA staff and passengers at potential risk. The $803,000 project, which is funded through Invest in Cook funds that are being matched with CTA bond funds, will include replacement of the sidewalks, signal system, pedestrian gate, and technology at the grade grossing to improve safety.
  • Blue Line O’Hare: The CTA will be upgrading the safety and reliability of Blue Line rail operations between Jefferson Park and the O’Hare Terminal. This $2 million project will pay for replacement of track, switch points, ties, and other infrastructure that is no longer in a state of good repair and often requires maintenance. The upgrades will enhance the ability to provide reliable scheduled service.
  • I-55 Garage in Plainfield. Pace will reprogram $425,000 to purchase and install charging infrastructure for electric buses at the garage currently being constructed along I-55 in Plainfield. The funding will ensure the site is ready for future electrification of Pace’s bus fleet, which the agency as committed to fully achieve by 2040.


Each of these projects can be found on the recently upgraded 5-Year Regional Capital Program section of RTAMS, the Regional Transportation Authority Mapping and Statistics website. Users can search by keyword, filter results by Service Board, mode of transit, and which core requirement or strategic goal from Invest in Transit the project will help achieve such as improve equity or achieve full accessibility. Results will show details about each project, including a description, funding amounts, a link to a project map, as well as a project benefit map that shows the area affected by the project. Look out for the launch of a systemwide map of all capital projects later in 2022. Read more about the update in a recent issue of the RTAMS newsletter.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

* indicates required
Type your email address here
What emails would you like to receive from the RTA
Tagged in:

Related Articles

22 RTA 1020 CTA and Pace offer alternatives during rebuild of Forest Park Branch of Blue Line

On July 23, the CTA began Phase I of their multi-year, multi-phased project to make service along the Blue Line’s Forest Park Branch faster, safer, more reli...

August 10, 2023
22 RTA 0400 CTA, Metra, and Pace Accelerating Efforts to Electrify Fleets

Riding public transit is one of the most sustainable modes of travel, and the transit system is one of the strongest tools our region has in the fight agains...

July 31, 2023
Webinar 4 Transportation Tuesday recap: Advancing a Regional Capital Strategy

One of the core responsibilities of the RTA is to work with the CTA, Metra, and Pace to advance a capital strategy that ensures major transit investments are...

June 28, 2023
PMO RTA releases semi-annual project management oversight report highlighting over $7 billion in transit investments

Under its Project Management Oversight (PMO) program, the RTA ensures that the Service Boards—CTA, Metra, and Pace—are spending capital funds and managing th...

June 23, 2023
22 RTA 0451 Project Management Oversight report highlights more than $7 billion in ongoing transit investments

Twice a year the RTA publishes a Project Management Oversight (PMO) report that details major transit investments by CTA, Metra, and Pace and fulfills our ov...

March 8, 2023
22 RTA 1532 Understanding capital vs. operating funding and why it matters

Funding the second largest transit system in the country is a large and complicated task. It’s true, Chicagoland’s transit system is facing a $730 million an...

February 2, 2023
RTA
CTA
Metra
Pace
Copyright © 2022 Regional Transportation Authority. All Rights Reserved.