Western and Ashland corridors

[Busjack]

After noting a cryptic story in Chicago Breaking News, I found an FTA announcement that it had approved an alternative analysis grant for

Chicago Transit Authority

Project: Western Corridor

Grant Amount: $1,600,000

This project will look at transit improvements in this North-South corridor that would support the Chicago Transit Authority's (CTA) radial heavy-rail network. The corridor runs along Western and Ashland Avenues in Chicago between Howard and 95th Streets. The justification of need: the corridor contains regional destinations, offers many redevelopment sites, has high bus ridership and is home to many zero-car households.

So, maybe there is a way to bring back the X9 and X49, which I think all here agree are needed.

The main FTA Press Release is here.

[service to 103rd]

this would be a ood idea,since ashland and western trips have the the highest ridership. They both also cover alot more ground.

This would probaly also make up for the service cuts of the X49 and the X9 in Febuarary.

[ChicagoNova]

Another idea would be to extend #49 Western to 95th.

[BusHunter]

After noting a cryptic story in Chicago Breaking News, I found an FTA announcement that it had approved an alternative analysis grant for

So, maybe there is a way to bring back the X9 and X49, which I think all here agree are needed.

The main FTA Press Release is here.

Is this a seperate grant from the BRT grant? I seemed to be confused by this story. The Red Eye reported that this grant "was finally approved after the second try" like it was the BRT grant that failed before finally being approved. That being said what happened to the BRT that was supposed to run along the #14 corridor?

[Busjack]

Is this a seperate grant from the BRT grant? I seemed to be confused by this story. The Red Eye reported that this grant "was finally approved after the second try" like it was the BRT grant that failed before finally being approved. That being said what happened to the BRT that was supposed to run along the #14 corridor?

That's why I don't trust the Tribune, and cited the original source.

From the FTA pages to which I linked, it is clear that it is only a grant for an alternatives analysis under the New Starts program. Hence, it is not much different than what has gotten the Red, Yellow, Orange, and Circle line projects to this point--i.e. not yet close to construction.

I commented on the CTA Tattler that most of the New Starts (at least around here) appear to be make work programs for the consultants. In addition to that, I assume the purpose is for the consultants to recommend something to, in effect, reinstate the X9 and X49.* Basically, though, unless the preferred alternative turns out to be the status quo today, they will be recommending something that CTA just canceled because of lack of operating funds. Unless that problem is rectified (or the consultants go in the direction of abolishing the underlying locals), I don't see how the CTA can proceed to the next stage.

As far as prior grants, I don't think that affects the Jeffery and Downtown corridor grants, which were under another program. I think that the "second try" refers to the big $193 million BRT plan that died when parking taxes were not raised.

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*Heck, I think I previously mentioned that the FTA said around 2003 that CTA had a BRT proposal to put Compobuses and street furniture on X49. However, Kevin and Ryan are the only ones to have seen the Compobus, as far as we know.