The $280 million 95th Street terminal project is expected to be completed in late 2018. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)
Mary Wisniewski Contact ReporterChicago Tribune
The CTA plans to reroute some weekday rush-hour Red Line "L" trains onto the Green Line starting next month to allow for more construction at the 95th Street station.
The next construction phase will include work on the tracks, the existing station platform and the foundations of the new north and south terminal buildings, CTA spokesman Jeff Tolman said. To do the work, the CTA will have to close the east and west sides of the tracks at 95th, at separate times.
What does this mean for South Side commuters? The work will affect off-peak trains during the morning and afternoon weekday rush hours, so riders will have to make sure they get on the right train.
From 7:56 a.m. to 9:14 a.m., every other southbound Red Line train starting at Howard Street will be rerouted after the Roosevelt station to the Ashland/63rd Green Line stop, the CTA said.
From 4:40 p.m. to 5:58 p.m., every other Howard-bound train entering the Loop from south of Roosevelt will start at the Ashland/63rd Green Line station.
Depending on riders' location, some customers going in the off-peak direction may have to wait a few extra minutes, Tolman said.
The rerouting, which will affect about 10 percent of all Red Line trains, begins April 2 and will continue until fall.
All trains will be marked with destination signs, showing Ashland/63rd, 95th/Dan Ryan or Howard, and announcements will be made at stations, CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase said.
CTA to get $1.1 billion federal grant to upgrade Red Line
"This was necessary so we can do two things — maintain Red Line service and keep 95th Street open," Chase said.
Motorists on the Dan Ryan Expressway also will see the extended closure of the northbound left lane near 95th Street beginning as soon as March 18, depending on the weather, and continuing into the fall. The lane also was closed last fall.
The $280 million 95th Street terminal project, expected to be completed in late 2018, involves completely rebuilding the Red Line South's busiest station, which sees 20,000 passengers and 1,000 bus trips a day. The station is the southernmost stop on the Red Line — the agency plans to extend the line south to 130th Street, but has not yet acquired the funding.
