Congress lurches toward transportation cash crisis

New switching equipment on Metra’s Milwaukee District Line to reduce delays, refurbished CTA Red Line stations and buses for Pace’s I-55 shuttle are among the projects in peril if Congress can’t pass transportation funding this week.

Regional Transportation Authority leaders warned Monday that current legislation, which gives money to transit from the federal gas tax, expires Saturday.

“If it lapses, the region will lose $1.2 million a day in gas tax revenues,” RTA Executive Director Joe Costello said. “That’s two CTA or Pace buses — with three days of funding, you could rebuild a bridge for Metra.”

The previous transportation funding law expired in 2009, but continued sparring between Republicans and Democrats has meant continued short-term extensions.

The Senate approved a bipartisan two-year $109 billion bill last month and the House took up a five-year bill. However, a number of House Republicans revolted against that proposal mainly because of concerns it would gouge mass transit.

This week, the House could either vote on a 90-day extension until June 30 or go along with the Senate version.

A 90-day extension is better than nothing, Costello said, but the problem is it would create “too much uncertainty. We feel we are the passengers in a car in a game of ‘chicken.’ That’s no way to treat roads and public transportation in America.”

Suburban Republican Congressmen Judy Biggert of Hinsdale and Robert Dold of Kenilworth urged House GOP bigwigs to accept the Senate bill in a letter Monday.

While not perfect and acknowledging that a “longer term bill is ideal,” the Senate policy would allow state transportation departments and transit agencies to “embark on the work necessary to keep American goods and people moving,” the letter stated.

Another issue with the 90-day extension is that the Senate has indicated it might only accept a shorter 45-day to 60-day option.

“A 90-day extension would take us into the middle of the summer construction season, prolonging uncertainty and hampering long-term projects,” said Western Springs Suburban Democrat Daniel Lipinski, who is on the House transportation committee.

“Moreover, the Senate has indicated that it will only pass a shorter extension, meaning that passing a 90-day extension will get us nowhere.”