The Illinois Regional Transportation Authority last week approved a resolution urging state lawmakers to adopt a long-awaited capital program.
The RTA in 2006 unveiled a strategic proposal — called Moving Beyond Congestion — that sought state legislative support for $10 billion of capital investments over the next decade. The plan projects the need for $34 billion over the next three decades to maintain the current transit system, and $57 billion to expand it.
A new capital plan has long been sought amid a six-year drought in new bonding authorization for capital projects. Lawmakers and the former governor, Rod Blagojevich, had long been at loggerheads over how to fund such a plan.
New Gov. Pat Quinn has said a capital plan is a priority of the current legislative session. Support is growing for an increase in the state’s gasoline tax to generate the revenue needed to support the plan, although it remains unclear how large of an increase might pass.
RTA officials have also warned about looming budget shortfalls in spending plans of its service boards — the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra commuter rail, and Pace suburban bus service — because of dwindling sales tax collections.
The RTA has warned that final collections for last year may fall $58 million short for the CTA, which in turn has warned that the number could be as high as $87 million — raising the possibility of fare hikes and service cuts.
