Officials today unveiled a remodeled Chicago Transit Authority Red Line station and rehabbed bridge over the Dan Ryan at 35th Street.The 35th Street improvements ? completed in time for the Major League Baseball All Star Game at U.S. Cellular Field ? offered a unique opportunity to upgrade the transit and roadway infrastructure simultaneously, said Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Miguel d?Escoto. The CTA station rehab was completed while CDOT was rebuilding the bridge, a savings of both cost and time.
"This is another example of how the strong partnership between CTA and CDOT benefits everyone," d?Escoto said.The newly renovated Sox-35th station entrance reopened April 2, in time for the Chicago White Sox home opener. Among the new station amenities:
new ceiling, lighting and granite tile flooring,
new 8' x 10' Chicago White Sox logo in granite tile w/ stainless steel border in floor
replacement of 24 windows
new stainless steel downspout and column covers
new stainless steel customer information kiosk
concrete rehabilitation and conduit work (for communications and other wiring)
"These upgrades offer more comfort and convenience for CTA customers and provide an attractive gateway to surrounding communities and places of interest such as U.S. Cellular Field and the Illinois Institute of Technology," said Susan Plassmeyer, Chief of Staff to CTA President Frank Kruesi.
The new bridge, which closed last fall and reopened to traffic in April, features a new deck, superstructure and sidewalks. Additionally, it includes attractive and functional canopies to protect pedestrians and CTA users ? running along the north and south sides of 35th between LaSalle and Wentworth, and across 35th Street.
Also, traffic signals at the intersections of 35th and LaSalle and 35th and Wentworth, as well mid-block on the bridge, were modernized. The new LED signals are brighter, easier-to-see and more energy-efficient, d?Escoto said.
The bridge also features sign bands that highlight two prominent community institutions?the White Sox and the Illinois Institute of Technology.
CDOT, in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Transportation, in 2001 launched a program to improve bridge viaducts over the Kennedy and Dan Ryan Expressways. The program will reconstruct more than 30 bridges along both expressways.
The 35th Street viaduct, like many others to be rebuilt, was constructed over 40 years ago, and traffic and weather had taken their toll, d?Escoto said.
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