Virden
Virden, IL · Traffic & Transit
fox32chicago.com
WTTW - Chicago PBS
The Center Square
New transit authority unveils $5B budget mixing cuts, more spending
(The Center Square) – The newly-formed Northern Illinois Transit Authority is engaging with counties, public transit riders and transit experts to pass its proposed $5.04 billion budget for the upcoming year. NITA is composed of transit organizations that serve Chicago and the city’s suburbs, including the Chicago Transit Authority, Pace bus system and Metra commuter rail network. The organization was created earlier this year as part of a broader effort to increase funding for public transit statewide. Compared to the proposed NITA budget, the RTA’s last budget was $4.35 billion this year. In a presentation at the NITA Board of Directors meeting Thursday, interim Chief Financial Officer Tom McKone explained the purpose of the larger budget and where the taxpayer funds will come from. “It's a balanced budget, a total of $5 billion,” McKone said. “The total region-wide revenues. Those are comprised of the NITA sales tax, along with system-generated revenues and about 30% of it coming from the State of Illinois sources.” McKone said that despite the increased total budget, the underlying agencies have found ways to get more out of existing services while spending less, beyond what was already required to be identified by the act creating NITA.
Streetsblog Capitol Hill
wfiwradio.com
ILLINOIS STATE POLICE STEP UP ENFORCEMENT IN I-57 CONSTRUCTION ZONES NEAR MT. VERNON
Illinois State Police are increasing patrols and traffic enforcement along Interstate 57 near Mt. Vernon in an effort to reduce crashes and improve safety in two major construction zones. The increased enforcement began earlier this month as part of a work zone safety initiative ahead of the busy holiday travel...
firstalert4.com
Boone Country Connection
myleaderpaper.com
myleaderpaper.com
Festus City Council OKs street master plan
The Festus City Council on Monday approved the 2026 Street Master Plan, which will guide the Public Works Department where improvements are most needed in the city when seeking state and federal grant funding. Public Works Director Michael Christopher told the council that safety was the top priority when drafting...