Chicago Sun-Times

Replacing 91-year-old double-decker Wells Street Bridge: ‘Very cool stuff’

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 13:23:58 -0500

“I want to cut it.” “No, I want to cut it!’’ That was the argument among ironworkers last month as they lobbied to be the torch-wielder who would make the last, critical cut needed to loosen nearly half of the 91-year-old Wells Street Bridge and send it off to the scrap heap. The argument could become even more passionate as workers prepare to cut the second and final half of the double-decker Wells Street Bridge free this weekend to make way for a new — and safer — replacement.

Chicago wheeling out new bike sharing program

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:48:05 -0500

Called “Divvy,” the city program should open in mid-June with 75 stations and expand by the following spring to 4,000 stations, Chicago Department of Transportation officials said Thursday.

L rider alert: Wells Street Bridge shuts down again Friday night for nine days

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 13:23:30 -0500

the Wells Street Bridge will be shut to rail traffic for nine days, disrupting the commutes of up to 77,000 riders a day. The good news: A new bridge should be fully in place by the morning rush on Monday, May 6, when normal rail service is expected to resume.

Jury awards $1.25 million to pilot who sued United after falling on icy O’Hare tarmac

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:56:00 -0500

When Jim Reiners, who’s now 50, stepped off the stairs leading from his small aircraft to a lined path on the tarmac in December 2004, he fell and injured a disk in his back, his attorney said. The injury ended Reiners’ career because, his attorney said, he can’t sit more than an hour or two without back pain.

Furlough could delay fall opening of O’Hare’s runway

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 02:19:36 -0500

Long-term furloughs of air traffic controllers could foul up the fall opening of O’Hare International Airport’s new runway — part of the $6.6 billion O’Hare Modernization Program, a union official warned Tuesday. Controller training on dealing with the new east-west runway is “at a standstill” because of mandated controller furloughs that started nationwide Sunday, said Dan Carrico, president of the air traffic controller local at O’Hare Tower. Unless controllers are properly trained on the nuances of the new runway, it may open in October as scheduled but “we can’t use that runway,’’ Carrico said. “It will just be an empty …

Metra ordered to pay employee who made safety complaint $38,000 in OT

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:46:54 -0500

The 22-year employee contended that Metra closed his position as a signal testman and gave him another signal testman job without overtime after he complained that he could not adequately test signals without working off-hours and incurring overtime. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration found Metra violated whistleblower protections with its actions and ordered the suburban rail agency to pay the overtime.

City officials, CTA propose Bus Rapid Transit on Ashland

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:58:09 -0500

Sixteen miles of Ashland Avenue would have a whole new look — with a CTA station or landscaping in the middle, a dedicated bus lane on either side, and one lane of car traffic in each direction — under a “Bus Rapid Transit’’ plan unveiled Friday. City officials announced they have decided to debut their BRT initiative along Ashland Avenue, rather than Western, and have settled on a configuration featuring dedicated center bus lanes. The new look would initially run from Cortland [1800 North] to 31st Street but eventually expand as far north as Irving Park and as far south …

RTA names Target, Aldi among firms examined in tax suit

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 20:06:39 -0500

Target, Aldi, Lands’ End and Gateway are among some 70 companies RTA officials Wednesday said have been occupying offices in Kankakee or Channahon, possibly to avoid paying higher sales taxes.

Metra board discusses its executive director’s job performance

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 14:59:42 -0500

Metra board members met for some two hours in a special closed session Friday, discussing the job performance of executive director Alex Clifford, whose contract expires in 10 months, a board member said. The special meeting occurred against the backdrop of Clifford’s attempts to meet one-on-one with board members just as they try to nail down a process for determining if his $252,500-a-year contract should be renewed, one member said. Metra Chairman Brad O’Halloran did not talk to reporters afterward about the subject of the closed-door session, which he called a week before Metra’s regular monthly meeting. And although Clifford …

O’Hare officials investigate runway power outage

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:10:29 -0500

Officials at O’Hare International Airport continue on Friday to investigate a power outage that affected the lights on four runways Thursday night.

Amtrak ridership hits record levels; Chicago route grows 9.8%

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:25:52 -0500

Amtrak ridership increased in the first six months of fiscal year 2013, with ridership in March setting a record as the single best month ever in Amtrak’s history, the railroad said Tuesday. Ridership on the Illini/Saluki route, which operates between Chicago and New Orleans, grew 9.8 percent in the October to March period, among the largest jumps.

CTA agrees to accept minimum $14.25 million in settlement over buses with alleged defects

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 02:18:44 -0500

The CTA has agreed to a settlement of a minimum $14.25 million in cash to compensate for a fleet of articulated buses that cost $87 million before the vehicles were pulled off the street for alleged defects and literally sold for junk. CTA officials say they expect to get an additional $1.2 million after selling for scrap all 226 articulated buses provided by North American Bus Industries.

Know of a pothole? City wants to know for ‘Potholepalooza’

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 12:00:00 -0500

City officials are encouraging Chicagoans to “report as many street potholes as possible” this weekend as part of “Potholepalooza.”

Circle Interchange makeover: Short-term pain, long-term gain

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:33:04 -0500

A proposed four-year revamp of the oft snarled downtown Circle Interchange that could begin next year will be like major reconstructive surgery, painful for while, but better in the long run, transportation officials said Wednesday.

Derailed train in Gary carried hazardous material, officials say none leaked

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 18:55:14 -0500

Three derailed cars on a Canadian National Railway freight train in Gary carried hazardous materials, but authorities said none of the cars leaked.