Metra officials vent at lack of state funding action

After sitting on a waiting list for nearly two decades, 22 deteriorating bridges on Metra's UP-North Line still need replacement, agency officials said Friday while venting frustrations about ongoing budget woes.

The bridges were pinpointed for replacement during reviews as far back as 1989 and represent a third of the 66 bridges throughout the Metra system fingered for work at the time.

Thirty-nine of those bridges, most on the south side, have been replaced. The North Line's 22 remain in the design stage while waiting for more than $60 million to do the job. Another five have yet to be designed.

Bill Tupper, Metra's chief operations officer, insists the bridges are safe because of repairs and modifications that were made in recent years. They are inspected four times a year.

"Any safety issues are repaired immediately," he said.

But continuing to make repairs on an as-needed basis is costing the agency more in the long run than building new bridges, he added.

The detailing of the bridge repair needs comes as the agency is trying to get billions of dollars from the state for system upgrades and expansion.

Metra, along with the CTA and Pace, also is pushing lawmakers to hike the regional sales tax a quarter percentage point to bring in more than $300 million to fill gaping budget holes that are prompting fare hikes and service cuts.

The frustration of Metra officials, who have been waiting months for lawmakers to act on measure, spilled out during the board meeting Friday in an hourlong, round-robin rant.

Metra Director Phil Pagano, visibly angered at times, lamented the attention lavished on the CTA over its threatened fare hikes and service cuts while also blasting lawmakers who believe Metra riders can afford drastic fare hikes.

"I'm sick and tired -- in blunt language -- of people thinking our ridership is lily white, making $250,000 a year," he said at the public meeting. "We provide a very wide range of service for a wide range of people."

On the CTA, he snapped, "I'm getting really tired of the CTA and their service cuts. This isn't a one-agency issue."

Metra officials sent a letter to lawmakers and the governor Friday outlining their budget problems, including a 10 percent fare hike and weekend service cuts to come next year.

Each board member also expressed disgust with the progress of the sales tax hike measure, and several said its prospects remain bleak.

"Sadly, I don't see improvement in the near future," said board member Jack Schaffer, who represents the collar counties. "I just don't see it."

This year Metra officials put off $60 million in track upgrades and train repairs, a move they say may threaten reliability. The bridge replacements, along with major expansion projects like the suburb-to-suburb STAR Line, also will not get completed unless tax dollars are forthcoming.

"I'm getting tired of it," Pagano said at one point during the gloomy discussion.