LaHood bullish on Olympics, mum on Illinois high-speed rail feud

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood promised the full backing of the federal government to fix what ails area transit if Chicago gets the 2016 Olympics, but he wasn't as forthcoming on the consequences of a state spat over high-speed rail Thursday.

Illinois and seven other Midwest states are collaborating in hopes of securing a piece of the $8 billion designated for high-speed rail that's part of President Obama's economic stimulus plan.

Proposed routes include Chicago to St. Louis but local leaders in Springfield object to a plan to put the fast trains on Union Pacific tracks in their downtown, preferring an alternative location. While transportation experts say the dissension won't help Illinois, Peoria native LaHood wouldn't go into specifics.

"We've received a number of proposals for high-speed rail. We're evaluating all of these and we will be making some announcements," he said during a stop in Chicago along with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and Office of Urban Affairs Director Adolfo Carrión Jr. "The folks in this multistate region have sent a proposal and we're going to look at it."

Recently, the International Olympic Committee concluded that transit agencies, such as Metra, need to make improvements to handle the thousands of spectators who would descend on Chicago for the Games.

"Nobody has their fingers crossed more than we do," LaHood said regarding the Olympics announcement Oct. 2. "When the announcement is made, we will be full partners with the mayor and the city to do what we can to make sure the infrastructure is in place to have the most spectacular Olympics."

LaHood, Jackson and Carrión are visiting Chicago and other cities to learn about innovations in urban planning this week. The White House wants the EPA and departments of transportation and housing and urban development to collaborate and encourage development that integrates transit, affordable housing and environmental sustainability. Officials discussed the goals during a forum sponsored by the Metropolitan Planning Council marking its 75th anniversary.

"Our national investment should be driven by smart regional planning," Carrión said.

The eight states envision a network of rapid trains connecting cities such as Detroit, the Twin Cities, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Milwaukee and Kansas City. During a conference call Wednesday from Washington D.C., members of the Midwest High Speed Rail Steering Group, including Illinois transportation Secretary Gary Hannig, said they'd met LaHood and were confident about securing high-speed rail funding.

But transportation and rail expert Joseph Schwieterman of DePaul University noted that the opposition from Springfield doesn't help the state's case. "With so much competition, we can't afford to send an application with a mixed message," he said.