The city must match an expected federal grant of $2.16 billion before the first track can be laid and the City Council set set to give the project signal clearance Wednesday.
Lightfoot formally introduced a proposal on Wednesday to the Chicago City Council to create a new tax-increment financing district along the southern branch of the CTA Red Line to fund the extension of the train line first envisioned by former Mayor Richard J. Daley in the 1950s.
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The Community Development Commission sent the proposal to the Chicago Plan Commission, which is scheduled to consider the issue at its meeting scheduled for Oct. 20.
The mayor announced she won't try to pass the unpopular, $42.7 million tax hike after earlier saying she'd only ask for half of the inflation-tied levy increase.