The new Metra station on the South Side set to open next summer will bear the name of a late African American state legislator, U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush’s (D-1st) office told the Defender.
The new Metra station on the South Side set to open next summer will bear the name of a late African-American state legislator, U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush’s (D-1st) office told the Defender. Metra’s Rock Island line that serves the South Side and south suburbs will add a stop, named Lovana S. “Lou” Jones/Bronzeville, at 35th and Federal streets. “The name designation is to honor the former state representative of the 26th legislative district who died in 2006," Sharon Jenkins, a spokesperson for Rush, said Friday. "She was a staunch advocate for abused children and ex-convicts trying to turn their lives around. She was a great friend and mentor to the congressman." Michael Gillis, a spokesperson for Metra, said many calls have come to the company over the years about the need for a stop midway in the city before arriving at the final stop in downtown Chicago. The last stop for Rock Island commuters after 87th Street and Vincennes Avenue is the LaSalle Street station adjacent to the Chicago Board of Trade. That leaves many south suburban riders who work at or attend the Illinois Institute of Technology or go to White Sox baseball games, for instance, with no choice but to drive or take the CTA. “This has been in the making for many years, all we were waiting for was the funding,” Gillis said. The green light for the new station was given earlier this year thanks to funds secured by Rush and federal stimulus money. In the Federal Transportation Appropriations Act of 2004 sponsored by the congressman, $4.1 million was allocated for the project, with an additional $6.8 million coming from the federal stimulus. Rush also pushed for a large portion of the construction contracts to go to minority contractors. The project will produce about 100 construction jobs. “For the dollars being spent in the Black community, he wanted the community to participate in an equitable way," Jenkins said. "Nearly 50 percent of the construction dollars –– approximately $3.8 million –– have been awarded to Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) firms." Construction is expected to begin this summer, with a projected completion by July 2010. ______ Copyright 2009 Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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