Collins says public works project will have a substantial impact on community

CHICAGO, IL — State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D – Chicago) announced a public works project today which will bring jobs to Chicago’s South Side when construction crews begin working on a new Metra station on the Rock Island Line at 79^th Street near Vincennes in the Auburn Gresham community.

Last session, as part of the capital bill, Collins fought to get $11.5 million from Metra for the construction and engineering costs for the Auburn Gresham train station.  Collins notes that while the project will bring jobs to the neighborhood over the next two years, members of the community will have a long-term option to commute to jobs outside of their neighborhood.

According to a recent analysis of the U.S. Census’s 2008 American Community Survey, Chicago’s South Side has the nation’s second-highest unemployment rate.  The collective unemployment rate for South Side neighborhoods Auburn Gresham, Englewood, Washington Heights and West Englewood was 23.2 percent. Collins said, “This project will not only bring economic development and much needed jobs to the area but also provide residents with another opportunity to join the daily commute to jobs downtown and in the suburbs.”

The funds dedicated to Auburn Gresham are a part of a larger public works program to increase ridership on public transit. Auburn Gresham is one of only three new stations included in the $136 million state-funded program.