One of a Series; Discusses Transportation Issues Vital to Area Businesses
Recognizing that the business community
is uniquely qualified to influence federal transportation policy, Business
Leaders for Transportation is hosting a series of forums that bring together
members of the Illinois congressional delegation and their area business leaders
to rally around key changes to the distribution formula, and identify
transportation investment priorities.
Today’s breakfast in South Holland featured U.S.
Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Chicago). The event was co-sponsored by CenterPoint
Properties, Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce, CSX Transportation, Illinois
Road and Transportation Builders Association, MI-JACK Products, Southwest
Conference of Mayors, South Suburban Mayors & Managers, Transportation for
Illinois Coalition, and United Transportation Union-Illinois Legislative
Board.
“I campaigned for office on a pledge to make the
South Side and south suburbs look like the North Side and northwest suburbs,”
said Rep. Jackson. “We still have a long way to go, and the size of the chunk of
money that comes to Illinois in the reauthorization of TEA-21 will determine
whether and how we can move ahead.”
The
facts
about northeastern Illinois transportation network are startling. The region
has the second largest transit network and third largest interstate network
in the nation, is the third busiest intermodal hub in the world, and is the
fifth most congested in the country — leaving local commuters to waste an average
of 61 hours a year just sitting in traffic. Businesses, which represent individual
and commercial transportation users, have a particular interest in how
Illinois fares under TEA-3, the next federal bill.
“Rep. Jackson is known for his responsiveness to his
constituents’ concerns, especially about transportation,” said Mike Schoelfield,
chairman of the Chicago Southland Economic Development Corporation, director of
marketing for Baxter and Woodman, and forum moderator. “This forum offers
business leaders the opportunity to raise their specific concerns. Freight
traffic, for example, really tangles things up in the south suburbs, and wasn’t
addressed at all in the previous transportation bill.”
“We’ve identified southeast commuter rail service as
a priority and are looking at land use and financing options,” said South
Holland President Don DeGraff. “We’re doing everything possible to be
competitive for the federal pot of transportation
dollars.”
“Perhaps no one understands as well as the business
community does how important a good transportation network is to business and
the local economy,” said Jack Lanigan, chairman of the board, MI-JACK Products,
an intermodal product manufacturer based in Hazel Crest, Ill.
“That’s why we should be involved at the
state and federal level to make sure planned transportation investments makes
sense.”
Frank Beal, executive director of Chicago Metropolis
2020, which co-leads Business Leaders for Transportation with the Metropolitan
Planning Council and Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, outlined the coalition’s
recommendations for TEA-3. “Business Leaders for Transportation strongly
believes that the federal government needs to return to a needs-based funding
formula, and provide the necessary resources for a better connected, intermodal
system for northeastern Illinois. An informed and active business community is
key to ensuring that Illinois’ transportation needs are
met.”
This fall, Business Leaders for Transportation is
hosting a series of the forums around the region, including ones in mid-December
with Reps. Henry Hyde (R-Addison) and Judy Biggert (R-Clarendon Hills).
Business Leaders for Transportation, a
coalition of nearly 180 members representing more than 12,000 regional
employers, provides a collective voice for Chicago-area businesses on surface
transportation issues. Of central importance to the coalition is increased state
and federal transportation funding for northeastern Illinois, supported by
coordinated planning to achieve the most efficient and desirable return on
transportation system investments.