Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about Blue Line

Express Train to O’Hare? We Already Have One and It’s Called The Blue Line

By Steven Vance | Jul 1, 2015 | 118 Comments

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and recently appointed aviation commissioner Ginger Evans have been calling for new, faster, premium train service from O’Hare to downtown in a bid to improve the airport’s standing among its domestic and international peers. They argue that the airport is causing the city to lose business. However, while O’Hare is a low-performing […]

Mega Mall Developer Adds Housing, Reduces Number of Car Parking Spots

By Steven Vance | May 5, 2015 | 16 Comments

The company that’s redeveloping the Discount Mega Mall site in Logan Square has released a reworked proposal that adds much needed housing and dials back the number of car parking spaces, which makes the project a better fit for the walkable, transit accessible neighborhood. Terraco Real Estate and 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack are hosting a public […]

Actually, Logan Square’s Neither Traffic-Choked Nor Overcrowded

By Steven Vance | Nov 11, 2014 | 47 Comments

Late last month, over 100 people crowded into a public presentation to hear about a proposed development of 254 housing units, plus 72 car parking spaces and retail, on what’s now a vacant lot around the corner from the California Blue Line ‘L’ station in Logan Square. The number of parking spaces proposed is 182 fewer than […]

Local Residents Want More Housing at Logan Square Blue Line Station

By Steven Vance | Sep 15, 2014 | 1 Comment

Logan Square residents came out in droves last week for the first of three meetings about redeveloping the Logan Square Blue Line station and an adjacent city-owned parking lot. About 170 people participated, according to the Metropolitan Planning Council, and 220 attendees are expected for round two tomorrow night. With overlapping street redesign and development projects already […]

Eyes on the Street: CDOT Will Fix Milwaukee/Division Sidewalk, Crosswalks

By Steven Vance | Sep 4, 2014 | No Comments

The Chicago Department of Transportation’s Walk To Transit project will bring “quick fixes” to ten Chicago Transit Authority rail stations next year, including several long-needed improvements to the sidewalks and crosswalks around the Division Blue Line station. Currently, people walking to and from the transit line, or to the numerous shops and residences around the Polish […]

“Walk To Transit” Targets 20 CTA Stations For Quick Safety Fixes

By Steven Vance | Aug 20, 2014 | 11 Comments

A new “Walk To Transit” initiative by the Chicago Department of Transportation will target 20 CTA stations for a slew of simple pedestrian infrastructure upgrades. People walking to several Blue Line stations on the west side and along Milwaukee Avenue, along with stations on the south and north sides, will see safety and usability improvements like re-striped […]

Today’s Headlines

By Payton Chung | Apr 8, 2014 | No Comments

NTSB Reports on O’Hare Blue Line Crash Causes, $9.1 Million Damages (ABC/AP, DNA) RTA Chairman Criticizes Quinn’s Transit Task Force, Asks for $5 Billion in Bonds (Sun-Times) CTA Re-Assesses Detours Around Blue Line, Will Post Larger Signs (RedEye) Hit-and-Run Driver Critically Injures Bicyclist in Evanston; Driver Caught (EvanstonNow) Cook County Population Booming, Like Other Metropolitan Cores (MPC) […]

Blue Line Construction Strands Shuttle Bus Riders Amid Detoured Traffic

By Steven Vance | Mar 28, 2014 | 21 Comments

Last weekend’s Blue Line track work, just one week of the months-long Your New Blue project, pushed rail riders onto shuttle buses that ran along Milwaukee Avenue — and right through a traffic jam created by the very same track work. Instead of following the designated detour, drivers diverted from Fullerton and Sacramento Avenues under the […]

To Smooth Out the Blue Line Rehab, Divert Cars From Milwaukee

By Steven Vance | Feb 24, 2014 | 14 Comments

As the Chicago Transit Authority prepares to fix up Blue Line tracks, the agency is warning riders that they’ll face significant delays during the weekends when work is underway. But tens of thousands of transit riders would face less inconvenience if the city cleared some room on Milwaukee Avenue by diverting motor vehicle traffic. The […]

Blue Line Rehab to Make Only a Single Station Accessible

By Steven Vance | Dec 19, 2013 | 21 Comments

The Chicago Transit Authority will spend $492 million rehabilitating tracks and stations on the Blue Line between the downtown subway and O’Hare airport in an effort to speed service and improve the customer experience. But the project will make only one station accessible to people with disabilities, out of 11 stations slated for a rehab that are […]