USDOT Freezes $2.1B Already Awarded for Chicago Transit Projects

The U.S. Dept of Transportation is freezing $2.1 billion for the Chicago Transit Authority’s Purple Line Extension and Purple and Purple Modernization whereas it conducts a assessment of the hiring practices used on the tasks in relation to an interim last rule on deprived enterprise enterprises that it printed within the Federal Register on Oct. 3.

The rule bars necessities associated to race and intercourse in federal transportation grants and directs DBE applications to re-review all corporations they’ve licensed underneath the brand new requirements. In its assertion, DOT referred to as current DBE practices “unconstitutional.”

DOT can be reviewing the New York MTA’s Second Avenue Subway Section 2 and the Gateway Growth Fee’s Hudson Tunnel Venture between New York and New Jersey, and freezing $18 billion for these tasks within the meantime, it introduced on Oct. 1. 

“Collectively, these essential opinions are meant to make sure no extra federal {dollars} go in the direction of discriminatory, unlawful, and wasteful contracting practices,” DOT mentioned in its assertion. 

The $2.9-billion Purple Line Extension mission is including 5.5 miles and 4 stations at 103rd Road, 111th Road, Michigan Avenue and a hundred and thirtieth Road. CTA chosen design-build contractors Walsh-VINCI Transit Community Partners to guide the mission, and early work is underway, together with web site preparation, constructing demolitions and utility relocations. 

CTA’s $2.1-billion Red and Purple Modernization is updating the only set of tracks that the 2 strains run on with new alerts, a bypass construction north of Belmont Station, monitor construction substitute and reconstruction of stations. The mission has already lowered journey instances for riders along with creating accessible stations, 4 of which opened this summer time, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson mentioned in a press release.

The transit authority didn’t instantly say whether or not the mission schedules can be impacted. 

Johnson referred to as the transfer a “politically motivated choice by the White Home Workplace of Administration and Funds.” OMB Director Russel Vought tweeted about each the New York and Chicago funding freezes forward of DOT’s bulletins, in addition to $7.5 billion in canceled Dept of Power grants forward of DOE’s announcement. 

“We’re calling for these cuts to be instantly reversed, and we are going to use each instrument at our disposal to revive this funding,” Johnson mentioned.

Whereas the U.S. DOT withholds federal funding for the tasks pending its assessment, it additionally indicated the present authorities shutdown would delay the assessment. In its assertion, it blamed Democrats for the shutdown, although the Senate as soon as once more on Oct. 3 rejected stopgap spending payments sponsored by each Republicans and Democrats. 

The funding freeze additionally comes because the Trump administration and state officers have been at odds over elevated immigration enforcement and a plan that Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) mentioned the administration has to deploy Nationwide Guard troops within the metropolis. 

“At a time when federal brokers are sowing chaos in Chicago, the Trump administration is holding bipartisan funding hostage,” Pritzker tweeted Oct. 3. “It’s trying to attain political factors however is as a substitute hurting our economic system and the hardworking individuals who depend on public transit to get to work or college.”