Transportation

A new high-speed passenger rail station has been completed in Dwight. Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn announced the completion.

The new station is among upgrades aimed at improving high-speed service between Chicago and St. Louis. 

Authorities say an American Airlines plane caught fire and passengers evacuated on the runway at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tony Molinaro says American Airlines Flight 383 departed Chicago for Miami on Friday afternoon when it blew a tire and damaged an engine. Molinaro says the pilot aborted the takeoff and everyone evacuated. There were no injuries.

Television reports showed a large plume of black smoke coming from the Boeing 767, which appeared to be damaged at the rear. Evacuation chutes extended from the plane.

Residents of McLean County have mixed reactions about the possibility of a highway route running between I-74 and I-55. An environmental assessment of the project was discussed during a public hearing Wednesday night at Central Catholic High School.

A Chicago disability rights group has sued the mobile ride-hailing service Uber for allegedly violating U.S. laws mandating wheelchair accessibility.

The suit was filed Thursday in Chicago federal court on behalf of Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago and several individuals. It seeks an order requiring that Uber comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and provide more wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

An Illinois group that wants to prevent transportation funds from being diverted elsewhere has spent about $2.5 million in television advertising to persuade voters to approve their idea.

Figures released Thursday by the Center for Public Integrity show that Citizens to Protect Transportation Funding has spent the money to air their ads nearly 1,300 times this election cycle.

Illinois is among 14 states that have received a year-long extension to comply with stricter federal requirements for driver's licenses and identification cards.

The extension means Illinois now has until Oct. 10, 2017 to comply with the 2005 Real ID act.

The Unit Five School Superintendent hopes the district's bus contractor has turned the corner for on time performance.

Mark Daniel says there was only one bus late Wednesday morning and the contractor, First Student, has now settled a labor agreement with bus drivers that offers a raise, a signing bonus, and guaranteed hours per shift.

Illinois voters this fall will have a chance to amend the state constitution. The governor refuses to say whether he supports the change. 

Illinois has gotten into the habit of using money that was supposed to be used to fill pot holes, and instead using it to fill holes in the budget.

Road contractors and construction workers got sick of it, so they came up with an idea.  Put road money in a sort of "lock box."  Amend the constitution so it has to be used on transportation needs, and nothing else.

Unit Five Schools continue to have driver shortages for school buses this week.

And that has meant some students are still getting to school around an hour late.

Connect Transit General Manager Andrew Johnson is speaking out against the 2016 Republican Platform released last week at the Republican National Convention. The document calls for the removal of Highway Trust Fund money from public transit systems such as Connect Transit in Bloomington-Normal.

If you drink and drive, you have a higher risk of getting caught in the Town of Normal than in most cities in the state.

Data from the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists show Normal police make more DUI arrests per officer than all but two other cities in Illinois.

The Mayor of Normal is giving Congressional testimony on the merits of high speed rail.

Chris Koos is appearing before the subcommittee on Transportation and Public Assets of the Community on Oversight and Government Reform.

People in Bloomington are reacting to fee changes proposed by Connect Transit. Under the plan, fixed route fares for one way riders, people with disabilities and senior citizens would remain the same along with one way fares for the Connect Mobility door-to-door service.

A six-month pilot project that will test limited bus service in northern Normal and southwestern Bloomington was approved by the Connect Transit Board of Trustees. The plan is to provide morning and afternoon service in those areas beginning in mid-August. Those areas would have been cut off by the route restructure slated for the fall.

Some $2 billion in road construction projects will be shut down July 1 in Illinois without a state budget agreement. An Associated Press analysis of Illinois Department of Transportation data shows that collectively work on the 19 largest projects is less than halfway done in terms of money spent.

A Chicago City Council committee has advanced plans to increase regulations for ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft.  

The proposal requires similar regulations on Uber and Lyft drivers as taxi drivers, including fingerprinting as part of a criminal background check. Drug tests and city debt checks would also be required.  

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Uber and Lyft officials have opposed the proposed regulations. The companies argue it'll cut into the number of drivers available. There are approximately 90,000 registered Uber and Lyft Drivers in Chicago.  

Connect Transit is asking for feedback on a proposal that would provide limited service to people that will be cut off when new routes and schedules are put in place this August. The plan would provide morning and afternoon service during peak times in northern Normal and southwestern Bloomington.

Some drivers might think a street with curbs, a center line, and plenty of room for traffic is a complete street. But a specific policy adopted by more 730 agencies across the U.S. involves much more.

Both Bloomington and Normal could have such a policy in place this summer that would change how the two communities view a street's uses and users.

Summer is the perfect time for a road trip and for one Illinois State University alum, it's time to shine with her name. You might remember GLT covering Summer Slevin's road trip across the U.S. last year, but she leaves for her second trip this Sunday.

Her last journey covering 21 states and 10 national parks was focused on nature and meeting new people. This time, she is hitting the road for a completely different reason.

The Illinois Secretary of State's office says a plan to issue driver's licenses and state identification cards in Illinois that are more secure won't require additional state funding.