Final weekend of track work to temporarily suspend Blue Line service between Damen & Logan Square; weekend morning Green Line Service between Roosevelt & 35th to also be suspended
The CTA reminds customers that this weekend, Blue Line service between the Damen and Logan Square stations will be temporarily suspended to allow the completion of track improvement work as part of the $492 million Your New Blue project to modernize the O’Hare branch. Also this weekend, Green Line service will be temporarily suspended on weekend mornings between the Roosevelt and 35th-Bronzeville-IIT stations for continued construction of the new Cermak-McCormick Place station, which is being built near the intersection of Cermak Avenue and State Street.
Your New Blue Track Work
Beginning 10 p.m. Friday, August 22 until 4 a.m. Monday, August 25, the CTA will provide free bus shuttles that will operate 24 hours a day serving the Damen, Western, California and Logan Square stations. Free transfers back into the rail stations will be provided to allow customers to resume their trips. For customers with disabilities, shuttles will provide service to the closest accessible station – either Logan Square or Clark/Lake, depending on direction of travel.
Customers are strongly encouraged to allow at least 20 minutes of extra travel time when using the Blue Line O’Hare branch this weekend.
The work will require some street closures and parking restrictions near the elevated structure. There will be overnight closures of Western Avenue on Friday (10 p.m. to 10 a.m.), Saturday (10 p.m. to 10 a.m.) and Sunday (8 p.m. to 4 a.m.) and daytime lane restrictions on Saturday and Sunday. Beginning Friday morning, 2700-2715 W. Prindiville will be closed beginning at 7 a.m., followed by the closure of 2305-2316 W. Moffat St. and 2404-2425 W. Homer St. beginning at 9 p.m. All streets will reopen by 4 a.m. Monday.
During the overnight closures of Western Avenue, #49 Western buses will be detoured to nearby streets.
The Your New Blue track project includes replacing wooden rail ties, tie plates and other track materials on the Milwaukee elevated track structure between the Damen and Logan Square stops—a section of line that opened in 1895 and still sits on the original structure.
The second phase of the Your New Blue project, which will begin soon, will renovate the California, Western and Damen stations. Station renewal work starts Thursday, September 4 with the temporary closure of the California station for 42 days as crews perform extensive stationhouse and platform upgrades and repairs to the nearly 120-year-old station. Similar work will be performed on the Damen station, which is scheduled to be closed for 63 days beginning October 20. The Western station, which will receive smaller-scale upgrades as part of the project, will remain open during construction work.
Announced in December 2013, Your New Blue is a $492 million project to provide faster, smoother commutes and improved stations along the Blue Line’s O’Hare branch between the Grand and O’Hare stations. Your New Blue is the largest, most comprehensive investment in the Blue Line since the O’Hare branch was extended to the airport from Jefferson Park in 1983-84. More information about the project is available at www.transitchicago.com/yournewblue.
Cermak-McCormick Place/Green Line Station Work
Green Line service between the Roosevelt and 35th-Bronzeville-IIT stations will be temporarily suspended beginning at the start of service through 11:40 a.m. both Saturday, August 23 and Sunday, August 24, to allow crews to perform work associated with the construction of the new Cermak-McCormick Place station.
For customers who need to travel between the Roosevelt and 35th-Bronzeville-IIT stations, a free bus shuttle will be provided along with free transfers back into the rail stations to allow customers to resume the remainder of their trips. Customers are encouraged to allow extra travel time.
Similar work requiring the temporary suspension of rail service between the Roosevelt and 35th-Bronzeville-IIT stations is tentatively scheduled for the weekend of September 6-7, with work beginning prior to the start of service (1:40 a.m.) and concluding by 11:40 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
The future Green Line station at Cermak fills a major gap in service between the existing Roosevelt and 35th-Bronzeville-IIT stations and will provide much needed access to rapid transit for neighborhood residents and businesses, including McCormick Place. The completed station will feature modern amenities such as elevators, bike racks, state-of-the-art security, enclosed boarding platforms, and three entrances. Work on the $50 million construction project began last fall and is managed by the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT).
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