CTA to add station along Green Line gap

Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor
image description
CTA

Chicago officials have announced plans to add a new Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) station along the Green Line at Damen Avenue.  

 

The new station is intended to better serve the growing business corridor on Chicago’s Near West side by serving a 1.5-mile gap between the current Green Line stations.

“Today we close the transit gap and provide residents and businesses with the new station they have been asking for,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. “The new station at Damen will fulfill a longstanding need for better transit options in the neighborhood and spur economic activity, improving the quality of life for everyone who lives and works in the area.”

The addition of the Green Line station will improve transportation options for commuters traveling to businesses in the Kinzie Corridor and to the United Center, as well as offer more convenient service to nearby residents, officials noted.

“As we’ve see many times, investment in new and improved CTA stations pays great dividends for communities across the city,” CTA President Dorval Carter said. “Providing a convenient, affordable transportation option makes it easy for people to get to and from work, school and their other destinations. And new stations have been shown to promote private investment in the surrounding area.” 

Similarly placed stations in recent years have seen weekday ridership increase by more than 40 percent within the first full year of operation, the CTA says.

The transit authority plans to collaborate with the Chicago Department of Transportation, the Chicago Department of Planning and Development and community stakeholders to complete the project.

The Kinzie Industrial Corridor Tax Increment Financing district is providing funding for the project, officials say.

Design and engineering work for the station is projected to start this summer, and construction is set to launch in the third quarter of 2018. Officials believe the project will take about two years to complete.

Tags: