7/1/05
Work has begun on the third and final phase of the CTA's Dan Ryan Red Line rehabilitation project. The final phase largely focuses on station improvements along the line from Sox-35th to 87th.
Seven stations from Sox-35th to 87th will receive upgrades that include new flooring, enhanced lighting, refurbished platform canopies, new customer assistant kiosks and improved signs. Eight escalators along the branch will be replaced and new elevators will be installed at 47th and 69th, making the stations accessible to customers with disabilities. There also will be enhancements to improve bus connections, such as curb cuts, canopies over station entrances and improved lighting on the approach to each station.
At Sox-35th station, the auxiliary entrance located on 33rd Street has closed until late October 2005 for renovations. Upgrades will include brighter lighting, new benches, improved signs and refurbished platform and canopies. During construction, customers are asked to use the main entrance on 35th Street.
CTA has also started Red Line station and platform renovation work at the Garfield and 63rd Street stations, however, there will be no entrance closures or impact on service at either station.
Improving power reliability and delivery of that power are the most significant aspects of the project, which is being executed in three phases.During the first phase of the project, CTA replaced crossover track, installed a temporary signal system to support the track work and began third rail replacements from Cermak Road to 95th Street. Phase I of the project concluded May 2005.
As part of Phase II, which will run through early January 2006, the CTA is constructing two new substations and upgrading two existing substations. Installation of a permanent signal system and replacement of the power rail is underway.
Phase III improvements consist primarily of station renovations.The $282.6 million project remains on time and on budget and is scheduled to be completed late 2006.
Construction is being performed by Kiewit/Reyes, AJV (A Joint Venture).
The Dan Ryan branch of the Red Line provides rapid transit service to the neighborhoods of Fuller Park, McKinley Park, Brighton Park, Garfield Park, Back of the Yards, Chinatown, Bridgeport, Bronzeville, Englewood, Gresham, Chatham, Greater Grand Crossing and Roseland among others. The branch also serves as a vital link to the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago State University, Kennedy-King College, Dawson Technical Institute and U.S. Cellular Field.
The Dan Ryan branch provides more than 50,000 rides on an average weekday. In 2004, ridership for the year was 15,365,684. The Dan Ryan branch is part of the CTA's Red Line, the busiest rail line in the CTA rail system totaling 61,104,724 million rides in 2004.
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