CREATE flyover funds at stake in House FY2011 spending bill, congressmen say

A $133 million federal grant obtained by Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program partners last year to fund the Englewood Flyover is at risk because of the recently passed House spending bill, according to Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Reps. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) and Bobby Rush (D-Ill.).

The flyover’s funding would be eliminated in H.R. 1, the fiscal-year 2011 spending bill approved by the House Feb. 19, the congressmen said in a joint statement. If the legislation — which is now being considered by the Senate — becomes law, the measure would cost as many as 1,450 Chicago-area jobs associated with the flyover, they said. The congressmen pledged to fight for the federal dollars promised for the project.