Metra Will Begin Project Work on Three Electric Stations in July

(Metra Photograph, via Twitter)

COOK COUNTY, Ill. – Metra begins work on three stations on its electric line as part of its Metro Electric Community Initiative.

As part of its Metra Electric Community Initiative, Metra has begun work on three stations at 79^th Street and Chatham, 87^th Street and Woodruff, and 103^rd Street and Rosemoor. The work on these three stations are part of a larger 13 station initiative that will result in many station improvements. These improvements include new composite deck platforms, lighting, and signage as well as new stairs and headhouses, and enclosed street-level entrances that are ADA-accessible and lobbies with elevators.

In order to complete this work, the stations will need to be closed for around seven months. The first closure at 79^th Street/Chatham begins July 10^th. Metra has announced that this work “will be done in stages so that no more than two of the stations will be closed at one time.” One station will be closed for improvements before working on the second station. And the third station construction will only begin once that first station has re-opened.

For the work on the three stations, a $33.9 million construction contract was awarded to IHC Construction of Elgin. 30% of the work has been subcontracted to DBE firms. Using funds from the Rebuild Illinois capital program, Metra is funding the work to be done.

Jim Derwinski, Metra CEO and Executive Director stated that the “project and all the other projects in the Metra Electric Community Intiative program are part of our commitment to My Metra riders to prioritize station improvements and promote transit ridership by creating welcoming and accessible gateways to their communities.”

Several state and local officials also commented on the project. Governor JB Pritzker asserted that the capital plan was not “just about modernizing roads and bridges – it’s about investing in our communities and the peole who call them home. . . Today’s groundbreaking to rebuild the 79th Street, 87th Street, and 103rd Street Metra stations to make them accessible for people with disabilities is a prime example of how we are leveraging resources to make sure that every Illinoisan – in every corner of our state – benefits from our investments.”