SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Democratic Representative Nikki Budzinski, (D) Illinois, labels the Springfield Rail Transportation Project in Springfield as “transformative.”

The $475-million project is a years long effort to improve access through downtown Springfield which often comes to a stop when trains come into town on two separate rail lines. The project, when concluded, will move Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific and Amtrak lines. Underpasses are being constructed to keep traffic moving without having to stop.

“The rail project in Springfield is transformative,” Budzinski told WAND News. “It’s going to help us with a lot of the work we’re going to be doing in downtown Springfield. I’ve been meeting with local leaders and I am incredibly excited about that.”

Last week Jefferson and Madison Streets were closed for 14 months to construct underpasses on those two blocks.

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