No money for transit (again) and tollway gets wonky

Another action-packed, cliffhanger, blockbuster year in transportation.

But without a doubt, the big story of 2009 was the declaration of peace between Chicago, Bensenville and Elk Grove Village over O'Hare International Airport expansion.

I almost drove off the road a few weeks ago when I heard a radio commercial on behalf of Elk Grove Village praising Chicago and Mayor Richard Daley for collaborating with O'Hare communities.

It's a sign of the times. Seems like just yesterday EGV leaders had nothing good to say about Daley and his minions.

But in April, Mayor Craig Johnson announced the village was withdrawing from lawsuits against Chicago seeking to halt expansion. The reason? The Illinois Department of Transportation dropped a plan to build a western bypass around O'Hare using Route 83 that would have taken out a chunk of Elk Grove Village's business park.

With the future of the business park secure, Elk Grove Village ended its partnership with Bensenville to fight Chicago's plan to build six parallel runways and a western terminal at O'Hare.

Bensenville also experienced a sea change last April. Voters elected Frank Soto over longtime Village President John Geils, who fiercely opposed the taking of about 600 homes and businesses to make way for runways and a rerouted Irving Park Road.

Soto took a different stance, arguing that with many properties already owned by Chicago and losses in court, the village needed to start negotiating for the best deal.

As a result, Bensenville and Chicago announced a settlement in November - $16 million for the village dropping its litigation. Soto is now co-chairman of a county planning group for the western O'Hare corridor.

I talked to Soto recently about what's next for York and Irving Park roads and the 600 properties in the northeast corner of Bensenville, now owned by Chicago.

Currently, lines of cars and trucks accumulate even after rush hour at York and Irving Park. It's a busy intersection with the airport and nearby industry contributing to the bustle, but the main reason for the wait are some heavily used CP Railway tracks.

To create space for the southernmost runway, Irving Park will be pushed south. The plan calls for raising the railway tracks and lowering the road so trains and vehicles don't mingle, Soto said.

It will provide congestion relief and make the area attractive to hotels who have held off, officials hope, because of the railway issue. Chicago is providing $1 million annually for four years to pay for economic development planning.

"This allows the Irving Park corridor to be developed and not locked up by the rail crossing," Soto said. "We know it will improve traffic congestion."

Demolition of Bensenville homes and businesses could start the third week in January.

But the O'Hare peace accords weren't the only big story this year.

• IDOT picked a final design Dec. 9 for the western bypass around the airport. The project would also connect with the extension of the Elgin O'Hare Expressway into O'Hare. The bypass will link to I-90 at the north and I-294 at the south.

As for getting the Elgin-O'Hare to actually reach Elgin? Not anytime soon.

• Leadership at the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority was a revolving door with Chairman John Mitola exiting along with a number of top administrators. The authority had been mired by the arrest of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich in late 2008 who federal prosecutors accuse of trying to get campaign cash from a highway contractor in relation to upcoming tollway projects.

After Blagojevich's ouster, Gov. Pat Quinn appointed four new tollway board directors, including Chicago Metropolis 2020 senior executive Paula Wolff as the chair. Wolff, who has been described as "a wonk's wonk," has promised a new era of transparency.

• CN's merger with the EJ&E Railway became reality in March 2010 when the Canadian railway was allowed to start moving freights to its new tracks. The acquisition divided the region because of CN's plans to move trains off busy lines and locate them on the underused EJ&E. Naturally, towns along the EJ&E opposed more freights while those expecting to see reduced traffic supported it. Legal and political battles still are continuing but so are CN's efforts to reach agreements with communities along the 'J.'

• Another funding crisis for public transit surfaced in 2009. Funding shortfalls facing Pace, Pace paratransit and the CTA led to talks of increased fares, bus route cuts and layoffs. Quinn brokered a deal that eliminated fare hikes but at the cost of borrowing and using capital dollars to balance budgets.

The imperfect solution means Pace will cut or reduce suburban bus routes in February and the CTA will go ahead with planned layoffs.

Metra had budget blues rather than a full-blown crisis and, as a result, will increase prices on weekend passes, one-way fares and penalties for buying tickets on trains.

Incoming

• Get your free coffee New Year's Eve at McDonald's and On the Run stores at tollway oases between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

• Metra is expanding family fares through Dec. 31 on weekdays. Up to three kids, age 11 and under, ride free with a paying adult.