Four Chicagoans are heading to Washington, D.C., this Thursday to testify before a congressional spending panel to ensure that promised federal transit dollars for the Blue and Brown Lines find their way back to Chicago.

Representatives from the Eighteenth Street Business Association, the Community Action Group of Lawndale, the Ravenswood Industrial Council, and the Neighborhood Capital Budget Group will testify on February 10 before the House Appropriations subcommittee on transportation. The community leaders will testify alongside Chicago Congressmen Luis Gutierrez, Rod Blagojevich, Danny Davis, and Bobby Rush. The community’s testimony comes on the heels of an announcement that the Clinton administration has pledged to fund reconstruction of both the Ravenswood L and the Douglas Branch of the Blue Line L.

"We are thrilled with the announcement that the U.S. Dept. of Transportation realizes the importance of rebuilding the Douglas L," said Joe Ann Bradley, executive director of the Community Action Group of Lawndale. "Now we have to make sure that Congress finishes the job and appropriates more funds this year."

The Chicagoans’ testimony calls on Congress to support equal access to public transit and create economic opportunities for the people of Chicago by investing in the Blue and Brown Lines.

Once the federal funds are available, "the real work begins," said Oscar Iracheta, president of the Eighteenth Street Business Association in Pilsen. "Business leaders and community residents need to be actively involved in planning the reconstruction of the Douglas L and overseeing the Chicago Transit Authority’s progress."

More work still needs to be done to secure funding for major improvements to the Ravenswood Line.

"We’re all happy that the U.S. Dept. of Transportation is supporting money for both the Brown Line and the Douglas L," said James Soens, executive director of the Ravenswood Industrial Council and vice president of the Neighborhood Capital Budget Group. "While the $10 million in the President’s budget is a good start, we have to make sure Congress follows through and devotes all the resources we need to get this project done."

NCBG Executive Director and Co-founder of the Campaign for Better Transit Jacqueline Leavy added, "This joint effort is aimed at building a truly world-class transit system for one of the nation’s greatest metropolitan areas. It’s great to see Brown and Blue line riders unite in this pursuit."