CHICAGO (WLS) — The groundbreaking of the Forest Hill Flyover took place Tuesday morning.
Gov. JB Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and several congressmen attended the event.
The project will construct a bridge over the CSX railroad.
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Cars will no longer have to wait for freight trains at the street-level crossing at 71st Street, reducing neighborhood traffic delay and improving safety, officials have said.
The Flyover is part of the larger 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project, meant to eliminate a congested rail chokepoint where 30 Metra and 90 freight trains cross each other’s paths per day, officials said.
The estimated total cost for the Forest Hill Flyover and 71st Street Grade Separation projects is $380 million. In 2018, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $132 million to the CREATE Program partners through the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant program for the 75th Street Corridor Improvement and Argo Connections (B9) projects. The federal investment, combined with $260 million in state, local, and private funding, will support the construction of the Forest Hill Flyover (P3) and 71st Street Grade Separation (GS19) projects, officials said.
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