The Chicago Transit Authority should spend $160 million a year to maintain its aging system of elevated structures and bridges, but is allocating only about $13 million annually, CTA officials said Wednesday.
When structural problems are found that threaten safety, immediate action is taken, even if it means taking money from precious operating funds, said Bernard Ford, the CTA`s operating chief.
But stop-gap repairs on the system, valued at $4.8 billion, ”can`t go on forever,” Ford asserted. If increased funding is not obtained, the result ultimately could be abandonment of lines or sections of track, he said.
The Regional Transportation Authority, the CTA`s parent agency, is seeking up to $1.5 billion in new state funding to begin chipping away at a multibillion dollar backlog of infrastructure improvements.
