Chicago Construction Jobs through High-Speed Rail
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009A new high-speed rail network could help created thousands of Chicago construction jobs, as well as construction and permanent jobs in other states.
In all, eight states are coordinating a bid for a share of $8 billion in federal stimulus money for the project. Governors from Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio recently met at the Midwest High Speed Rail Summit to further discuss the project.
If constructed, the high-speed railroad would connect 12 metropolitan areas, with Chicago serving as the main hub. Aside from making transportation among states easier, the project also would help reduce road congestion and lower greenhouse gas emissions. If given the go ahead, the project could take 10 to 20 years to complete. It would create 15,000 construction jobs and another 57,000 permanent jobs.