New auxiliary entrance on Archer opens at CTA Cermak-Chinatown Station

Written by jrood

CTA President Richard L. Rodriguez and Chicago Transit Board Chairman Terry Peterson said the agency opened a new entrance to the Red Line's Cermak-Chinatown station. Located approximately one block north of Cermak on Archer Avenue, the new entrance will serve as the primary access point for customers while the main entrance to the station on the north side of Cermak is reconstructed and made accessible. The south entrance on Cermak also will be closed to customers beginning June 4 at 11 p.m.

"Infrastructure
improvements like this are very important to CTA but are dependent on capital
funding," said CTA President Richard L. Rodriguez. "Thanks to the
stimulus funds we are able to renovate this station, provide a new entry point
and use our scarce capital funds for other much needed projects. When the work
is complete at Cermak-Chinatown, customers will be able to enjoy a more modern
and accessible station with the added convenience of another entrance and
exit."

"Capital projects such
as this require a significant amount of funding; however, they must be done if
we are to have a reliable public transit system that serves all
customers," said Chairman Peterson. "The availability of stimulus
funds is a great opportunity to make improvements the agency otherwise couldn’t
afford."

In addition to the creation
of the new auxiliary entrance on Archer, the station renovation project
involves upgrading the main Cermak entrance by replacing the stairs and
escalator, building a new station house at street level on Cermak and
constructing a protective perimeter, including posts and planters around the
outside of the station. The main Cermak entrance sustained major damage as the
result of a traffic accident in April 2008.

An elevator will be
installed at the Cermak entrance making the station accessible to customers
with disabilities. When construction is complete by the end of 2010, 92 of 144
CTA rail stations (65 percent) will be accessible.

Ridership at the Cermak
station on an average weekday is 3,530. CTA’s Red Line is the busiest line in
the rail system with 249,225 rides on an average weekday.

Total cost of the project
is $12.5 million and is funded with American Reinvestment Recovery Act – also
known as stimulus funding. CTA received a total $241 million in stimulus funds.
Projects funded through stimulus funds include the track renewal project in the
Blue Line’s Dearborn Subway and the purchase of 58 hybrid articulated buses.

Wight Hill, A Joint Venture
was awarded the contract through a competitive bid.

Tags: