CTA selects short list of firms competing for Red and Purple line project

Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor
image description
Conceptual rendering of Bryn Mawr stationhouse interior.
CTA

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has selected three qualified contracting teams to submit design-build proposals for the first phase of the Red and Purple Modernization Program (RPM) project.  

 

The three contracting firms that CTA said showed the ability to design and build the RPM project’s first phase include: Walsh Fluor Design-Build Team, Chicago Rail Constructors and Kiewit Infrastructure Company.

“We’re pleased to make good progress on getting closer to building this project and fulfilling our promise to improve rail service on the Red Line, our busiest line,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “It is critical that we find the most qualified builders in the industry to construct this project, which is one of the biggest modernization projects in CTA history.”

Phase One of the RPM project entails reconstructing four of the CTA’s oldest Red Line stations —Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr—to make the stations fully accessible. The work also entails completely rebuilding 1.3 miles of the adjacent track structure.

The project’s first phase also includes the construction of a rail bypass to unclog a 100-year-old junction where Red, Purple and Brown Line trains intersect, which would enable the transit authority to raise the number of trains that can run along the Red Line and meet a growing demand for service, officials said.

The RPM plan is scheduled to be completed in multiple phases. The project is set to rebuild part of the CTA’s Red and Purple lines, sections of which are more than a 100 years old.

The related tracks, structures and stations have also exceeded their useful lifespan, CTA said, and they no longer meet the increasing demands of growing ridership.

With the candidates finalized, the CTA said it will next issue a Draft Request for Proposals to invite potential bidders to submit proposals on how they would design and build the RPM’s first phase. The proposals will be considered based on experience, price and other aspects. The CTA said it expects major construction on the project to launch in 2019.

Phase One of the RPM project is expected to create 5,700 construction jobs. The CTA also said it plans to host several outreach events to encourage participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)-certified firms and other minority-owned firms interested in participating in the project.

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