USA: Illinois Governor Pat Quinn attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a $67m grade separation project at Bensenville near Chicago on February 19.
Lowering of Irving Park Road and construction of a bridge to carry Canadian Pacific tracks is intended to speed up the flow of rail and road traffic on the southwestern edge of O'Hare Airport. An average of 25 freight trains use the crossing each day, and IDOT estimates that 6 400 road vehicles a day are held at the crossing, costing motorists a total of 1 500 h/day.
The bridge is expected to be completed by late 2014 and the full junction rebuilding project in 2015.
'This grade crossing is a huge frustration for motorists', said Quinn. 'We're eliminating this roadblock to save drivers from thousands of hours stuck in traffic every year, all the while creating jobs and paving the way for more economic growth.'
The project is part of the Chicago Regional Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program, and is being funded through the Illinois Jobs Now! programme.
