It’s the beginning for the end of the Red Line: The CTA and local officials broke ground Monday on a $240 million renovation of the 95th Street stop, the southernmost point on the Red Line and a hub for both rail and bus riders.
In what the CTA is billing as one of its largest station projects, it will increase the size of the Roseland area stop, which will have buildings north and south of 95th Street connected via an enclosed walkway. The CTA said the current station footprint is too small, which causes bus delays and traffic conflicts.
The station also will have better access to 95th Street, so riders won’t have to cut through bus pick-up and drop-off areas to reach the major thoroughfare.
Other improvements include additional escalators and elevators, wider sidewalks, more spacious waiting areas for bus riders and wider bus lanes, which are expected to speed the flow of bus traffic. The CTA also will install artwork from South Side artist Theaster Gates as part of a $1.3 million art project.
The 45-year-old stop will remain open during construction, which is expected to be completed in 2017. The renovation is being paid for with a mix of federal grants, state funds and CTA bonds.
“This is the final installment of the modernization of bringing the Red Line South into the 21st century,” Mayor Emanuel said Monday at a press conference attended by Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, among other local leaders.
In a five-month, $425 million project last year, the CTA shut the 95th Street station and eight other South Side stops to replace track to remove slow zones on the southern portion of the Red Line. Shuttle buses replaced train service.
The 95th Street station has seen 1.7 million rail rides this year through June, down 12 percent from nearly 2 million rail rides in the same period in 2012. (The station was closed during part of this time last year for track replacement.)
Besides rail traffic, the station provides connection to 19 CTA and Pace bus routes and Greyhound buses. About 20,000 people use the 95th Street station on a typical weekday, the CTA said.
The project is slated to generate 700 construction jobs.
As for the project’s impact on riders, construction plans still are being finalized, CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase said. There has not been a determination whether the agency will implement station area slow zones, where trains operate 35 miles per hour or slower instead of speeds of 55 miles per hour.
Chase said if slow zones are put into place, they will be implemented only as trains are approaching the 95th Street station so impact on travel times would be minimal. If station closures are needed, which hasn’t been determined yet, Chase said, station closures would only occur during evenings or on weekends.
Stationary
A weekly dispatch from a CTA station of note
This week: Damen Pink Line
The Lower West Side station has some high points: The stop is accessible for riders with disabilities, the concessionaire is a juice company (a refreshing change from the fast food offered at other concession spots) and there are antique photos in the glass of the stationhouse. And some low points: When I visited the stop Monday morning, the escalator near the Damen Avenue entrance wasn’t working and neither was one of the stationhouse doors. It’s also difficult to cross the street at the Damen entrance to catch a northbound bus. Overall, though, I’m tickled pink by the functionality of this stop.
Next up: Halsted Green Line
