Want to speed up a road or transit project? Just host a political convention

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago officials had planned to reopen a long-shuttered elevated train station near the United Center more than four years ago, but numerous delays left some neighbors wondering if it ever would happen.

Then the Democratic National Committee picked the city to host its convention.

Construction crews scrambled to finish work this month on the Damen green line L stop before delegates arrived, with most of the high-profile events set for the home of the Bulls and Blackhawks less than a half-mile away. Featuring such flourishes as wooden ceilings, a colorful mural and a glass pedestrian walkway overlooking the Chicago skyline, the new station fills a 1.5-mile (2.4-kilometer) service gap created when a previous stop there closed in 1948.

“It was on target to get done, but the DNC made it quicker,” said Alderman Walter Burnett, who spent years lobbying for the project for his West Side City Council ward. “That helped a lot, and I loved it.”

Cities might factor the ability to host major events when prioritizing infrastructure upgrades, but rarely do they embark on big-ticket projects just to land a political convention or woo its delegates. Speeding up construction, however, is another matter.

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