Washington Street Red Line station to close for two years
The Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line station at Washington Street in the heart of Chicago's Loop will be shut down for two years beginning at midnight Monday, leaving only one station available for direct transfers between the Red and Blue lines.
The station and the connecting tunnel to the Blue Line will be closed for construction related to the city's long-delayed Block 37 real estate development project. That will leave the Jackson Street station, four blocks south, as the only free-of-charge underground transfer point between the Red and Blue lines.The Washington station on the Blue Line will remain open.
The development of the previously vacant lot -- bordered by Randolph, Dearborn, Washington and State streets -- includes plans for retail, hotel and office space and a new underground transit station with direct train service to O'Hare and Midway airports.
The station will be a "critical link for our entire system," CTA President Frank Kruesi said on Thursday from the Washington station underground mezzanine.
Two connecting tunnels with tracks linking the Red and Blue lines and the new Block 37 underground station will be built, Kruesi said, forcing the CTA to close the Washington station.
The Block 37 station will be built by the project's private developer, The Mills Corp., although the CTA and the city of Chicago will pay for most of it.
The price tag for the new station totals $213.3 million. The CTA has allocated $130 million in capital funds for the project, while the city of Chicago will pay $42.4 million and the Mills Corp. will pay $40.9 million, CTA officials said.
Meanwhile, Red Line trains won't stop at the Washington station until 2008.
Kirsten Pelka, a nurse who transfers at Washington on her way to work at Rush University Medical Center on Chicago's near West Side, said the closure will tack on extra time to her commute.
"That would be a problem for me," Pelka said.
Yvonne Sloan, who works on State Street near the Washington station, said she's not pleased that she won't be able to exit the subway closer to work, especially during winter weather. She commutes on the Red Line from 95th Street at least five days a week.
"It's going to be rough," Sloan said.
The station and the connecting tunnel to the Blue Line will be closed for construction related to the city's long-delayed Block 37 real estate development project. That will leave the Jackson Street station, four blocks south, as the only free-of-charge underground transfer point between the Red and Blue lines.The Washington station on the Blue Line will remain open.
The development of the previously vacant lot -- bordered by Randolph, Dearborn, Washington and State streets -- includes plans for retail, hotel and office space and a new underground transit station with direct train service to O'Hare and Midway airports.
The station will be a "critical link for our entire system," CTA President Frank Kruesi said on Thursday from the Washington station underground mezzanine.
Two connecting tunnels with tracks linking the Red and Blue lines and the new Block 37 underground station will be built, Kruesi said, forcing the CTA to close the Washington station.
The Block 37 station will be built by the project's private developer, The Mills Corp., although the CTA and the city of Chicago will pay for most of it.
The price tag for the new station totals $213.3 million. The CTA has allocated $130 million in capital funds for the project, while the city of Chicago will pay $42.4 million and the Mills Corp. will pay $40.9 million, CTA officials said.
Meanwhile, Red Line trains won't stop at the Washington station until 2008.
Kirsten Pelka, a nurse who transfers at Washington on her way to work at Rush University Medical Center on Chicago's near West Side, said the closure will tack on extra time to her commute.
"That would be a problem for me," Pelka said.
Yvonne Sloan, who works on State Street near the Washington station, said she's not pleased that she won't be able to exit the subway closer to work, especially during winter weather. She commutes on the Red Line from 95th Street at least five days a week.
"It's going to be rough," Sloan said.
MOST viewed
Copyright 2005-2008 PublicMedia, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation | 5412 N. Clark, Suite 218, Chicago, IL 60640 | 773.362.5002 | editors (at) chitowndailynews (dot) org
Comments
Please log in or register to post your comment.