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Behind the cost of pricey CTA station projects

What can $240 million buy?

How about: Second baseman Robinson Cano for 10 years in a 2013 deal inked by the Seattle Mariners, which didn’t make the playoffs this year though Cano was named Mariners player of the year.

Or: Hawaii’s largest independent gasoline operator, sold earlier this month to a Houston-based petroleum company in an agreement that includes nearly 100 gas stations and 44 mini-marts.

For the CTA, $240 million buys an expansion of the 95th Street Red Line terminal as part of a three-year project that includes a new building south of 95th Street with a bus staging area, an enclosed walkway over 95th Street to connect terminal buildings, wider bus lanes and additional escalators and elevators.

This fall, the CTA is embarking on two of the largest reconstruction projects in agency history at the 95th Street stop in the Roseland area and the Wilson stop in Uptown. The Wilson stop, a longtime eyesore, will become a transfer point for the Purple Line Express and accessible for riders with disabilities in a $203 million, three-year undertaking expected to begin next month.

“These projects aren’t just renovations, they are complete reconstructions of the old stations,” CTA spokesman Brian Steele said. “They are brand-new structures being built on entirely new footprints.”

And those structures come with hefty pricetags. While completely new stations on the Green Line, at Cermak Road and Morgan Street, cost $50 million and $38 million, respectively, the 95th Street and Wilson reconstruction projects are more than four times that price.

Steele said it’s not fair to compare the projects. The 95th Street project has expensive challenges including a construction area in the middle of the Dan Ryan Expressway while the Wilson stop work involves century-old or older elevated infrastructure, Steele said.

Both stations will see a large increase in station square footage and remain open during the projects, which extends the cost and duration of the projects, Steele said.

Meanwhile, the Cermak and Morgan Green Line stops are infill stations, along pre-existing CTA lines. Those stations are not as large and serve a smaller ridership, Steele said. The Morgan stop, which opened in 2012, sees 2,350 entries on an average weekday while the Cermak stop is expected to open later this year.

On a typical weekday, the 95th Street stop sees about 20,000 commuters, which includes Red Line riders and users of the 19 CTA and Pace suburban buses and Greyhound and Indian Trails intercity buses.

The Wilson stop, which sees 5,720 entries each weekday, is expected to see its ridership rise when it becomes a transfer point for riders of the Purple Line Express, which currently operates nonstop during rush hour between the Belmont and Howard Red Line stops.

Steele said when construction is complete, the 95th and Wilson stations will be on par with the Fullerton, Belmont and Roosevelt Red Line stops, some of the most popular stops systemwide. The work also is expected to spur redevelopment in Roseland and Uptown, Steele said.

“They certainly have the potential to generate other economic investment in their respective communities,” Steele said.

Going Public breaks down new station and station reconstruction projects:

Cermak-McCormick Place Green Line stop in the South Loop
Cost: $50 million paid for with tax-increment funds, taxpayer money intended to spur redevelopment in communities
Features: The new station, expected to open later this year, will have elevators and covered canopies.

Washington/Wabash stop in the Loop
Cost: $75 million paid for with federal funds
Features: The new station, a combination of the Randolph/Wabash and Madison/Wabash stops, will have escalators, elevators and bike racks and is expected to open in 2016.

California, Damen and Western Blue Line stops on the West Side
Cost: $33 million paid for with local, state and federal funds
Features: Work being completed this year includes stationhouse and platform repairs. The Damen and California stations, which are not accessible for riders with disabilities, will not receive elevators or escalators in this project. The Western stop is already accessible.

Clark/Division Red Line stop in Old Town
Cost: $50 million paid for with federal funds
Features: The project, which is expected to be completed next year, includes a new mezzanine at LaSalle and Division streets, two new elevators and three new escalators.

Wilson Red Line stop in Uptown
Cost: $203 million, paid for with federal, state and TIF funds
Features: The station, expected to be done in fall 2017, will have a main entrance and two auxiliary entrances, elevators and escalators, more security cameras and better lighting.

95th Street Red Line stop in Roseland
Cost: $240 million, paid for with federal grants, state funds and CTA bonds
Features: The station, expected to be done in 2017, will have buildings north and south of 95th Street, additional escalators and elevators and expanded platforms.

Stationary
A weekly dispatch from a CTA station of note
This week: Halsted Green Line
Though his Kickstarter campaign was unsuccessful, Chef Darryl Fuery of South Deering still plans on opening a casual restaurant this year in the concession space at this Englewood stop. Last month, Fuery launched a Kickstarter campaign for $8,500 to help fund his restaurant, which he said is unique in Englewood because of its health food offerings and commitment to provide food service training for teens. He received $890 among 35 backers in his online effort, which ended Sept. 17.

Fuery now has applied for a Mission Main Street grant, a program funded by Chase Bank that awards 20 small businesses grants of $150,000. The program is based on votes from the public. Go to missionmainstreetgrants.com to vote and for more information.

Next up: Garfield Red Line