ChiTown Traffic Tattler

NBC5 reports that the Chicago Transit Authority has completed its analysis for a new Circle Line, which was considered a crucial transportation improvement included in the city’s plans to host the 2016 Olympic Games.

An idea that arose in 2002, the Circle Line would create a second Loop connecting the Loop, Chinatown, the Illinois Medical District, Midway Airport, Pilsen and Little Village.

The broadcast outlet reports that finding the money won’t be easy, and quotes CTA president Richard L. Rodriguez who had just announced $122 million in staff and budget cuts.

“Like everyone else, CTA has been hit hard by the recession,” Rodriguez said in a press release. “Our primary revenue sources—sales taxes, real estate taxes and fares—are all tied to the health of the economy.”

The project would get a majority of its funding from federal New Starts Programs.