When the CTA released its proposed 2010 budget on Monday, the transit agency said it will have to take drastic measures to close a $300 million shortfall unless it receives public subsidies or major concessions from labor unions. On the table: Train rides that cost $3, half-hour waits for buses and more than 1,100 employee layoffs. Not a pretty picture. The hand-wringing played out over the week with officials tossing around enough numbers to make Will Hunting’s head spin. RedEye highlights some of the mass transit dollar numbers we found most interesting.
$1.3 billion The estimated CTA budget in 2010.
$7
Average cost to the CTA for each ride, according to agency President Richard Rodriguez.
$38 million-$112 million Estimated lost revenue to the state due to free rides for seniors and people with disabilities since the programs began, according to a University of Illinois at Chicago study.
$3
Basic train fare and express bus fare under the CTA’s proposed new budget. Basic bus fare would be $2.50.
$122 million
Amount in internal cuts the CTA has identified to help balance the budget.
Meanwhile, on the expressways …
Kennedy canyon
The outbound Kennedy Expressway was all torn up near Adams Street on Wednesday after a swath of pavement buckled at about noon. A preliminary investigation concluded the accident was due to extreme pressure from below as workers pumped concrete into an abandoned freight tunnel. The lanes reopened at about 4:30 a.m. Thursday.
Eisenhower baby
WLS-Ch. 7 morning anchor Judy Hsu made news Tuesday when she delivered a boy on the side of the inbound Eisenhower Expressway — then reported her own story on the 11 a.m. newscast. “It just went so fast,” said Hsu, who delivered Alexander James near the Cicero Avenue exit when she decided she couldn’t make it to the hospital. “It was pretty incredible.”
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