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20 THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE www.joc.com NOVEMBER 16.2015 INTERMODAL MARKET REPORT SPECIAL REPORT NEARLY $4 BILLION worth of infra- structure improvements in Chicago are nearly complete after more than a decade of work. Cit y, state and industry leaders say the projects are helping the city shake its reputation as the nation's longtime transporta- tion bottleneck. Skeptics remain, however, and they question whether any amount of capital projects could resolve the com- petition among railroads for time and space in the city, what has ultimately been the root of Chicago's congestion for more than a century. "I think there are a lot of things going on, and I think the focus has kind of turned to capital projects and physical improvements," Tom Fink- biner, a noted intermodal analyst and CEO of refrigerated intermodal rail provider Tiger Cool Express, told The Journal of Commerce. "The problem is much more managerial than it is physical. I just don't think the rail- roads play well together." The men and women behind those $4 billion in projects are sympathetic. There is surely no amount of capital or projects that could totally rid the city of rail and road congestion. "There will always be congestion, but we're man- aging that congestion," said Jeff Sriver, director of transportation, planning and programming for the Chicago Depart- ment of Transportation. Sriver oversees the city's involve- ment w it h t he Ch icago Reg ion Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program, or CREATE. Launched in 2003, the program is a partnership among the city, the state of Illinois and industry repre - sentatives with the Association of American Railroads, the nation's larg- est rail lobby. UNSNARLING CHICAGO By Reynolds Hutchins