CTA unveils Circle Line details

CTA unveils Circle Line details The proposed line would be completed in time for the 2016 Olympics if Chicago wins the bid by Chris Jaffe Staff Writer The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) unveiled additional details for the Circle Line this week. The proposed Circle Line would connect all existing elevated lines, Metra, and Amtrak railways in a loop around the city. The new loop would encompass the area bordering 39th Street on the south, Fullerton Parkway to the north, Western Avenue on the west, and Lake Michigan on the East. In an interview with MSNBC, the CTA said that the new proposal would keep people from having to travel into the loop to transfer between the el trains and Metra trains. In order for the CTA to secure federal funding, the Federal Transit Association (FTA) requires the proposal to be analyzed through the "New Starts" process which can take up to 15 years according to Robyn Zeigler, the CTAÂ's representative for media relations. The proposal for the project is currently in the alternative analysis phase, the first step in the program after concept development, which is when the idea for the line was initially constructed. During this phase, a preferred mode of transportation will be chosen along with the specific routes the Circle Line will travel. The FTA requires that the CTA will promise practical solutions to the routes that are implemented. The FTA process consists of five formal steps: alternatives analysis, environmental impact statement, preliminary engineering, final design and construction. During their preliminary findings, the CTA defined 14 different combinations of transportation modes, coverage routes, and grades of travel. The current stage is considering using buses, light rail, elevated trains, subway trains, or a combination of the four options to create the new loop. The CTA will have several public meetings next year to finalize the details of the project and the alternative analysis study should be completed by the end of 2007. http://www.thedepaulia.com/story.asp...=1771&sectid=1 Once the design of the Circle Line is chosen, the environmental impact of the public transportation change will be evaluated. Following this process, construction of the Circle Line will occur. Zeigler said that it was too early in the planning process to select a contractor. The current cost to use Chicago public transportation will not increase as a result of the construction of the new line. "Funding to build the Circle Line will come from federal capital funding for the CTAÂ's capital budget. The capital budget is separate from the CTAÂ's operating budget, which determines CTA fares," Ziegler said. The new project will not necessarily affect DePaul commuter students. Ziegler said the Fullerton station is farther north than the Circle Line, so it will not affect the Fullerton station directly. Zeigler also said that the Circle Line project would be completed in time if for the 2016 Olympics if Chicago wins the bid to hold the event.>