Chicago's Western Avenue Overpass, which crosses busy Belmont and Clybourn avenues on the city's Northwest Side, shares one crucial aspect with 2,238 other bridges in urban, suburban, and rural communities across the state: federal regulators consider it "structurally deficient," meaning at least one key component of the bridge is rated in poor shape or worse. You can see this easily at Western and Belmont. In many places, the overpass' concrete has chipped away, exposing its internal rebar to the elements.
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States are still learning of the ramifications of the "the largest annual
spending cut in history," also known as the compromise between Congressional Republicans and the White House. But one area sure to take a big hit: high-speed rail. With funding reduced, the Chicago-to-St. Louis 
So where did Congress and the White House find $39.9 billion to hack out from the current-year federal budget? Click over to Talking Points Memo to see the 
Voters in 14 Chicago wards 