Red and Purple Modernization

The USDOT announced it is blocking $2.1 million in previously approved federal funding for the Red Line Extension and the Red & Purple Modernization Project.

After yesterday's celebration of the five new Red Line stations in Edgewater and Uptown at the Argyle stop, I buttonholed State Sen. Mike Simmons and State Rep. Hoan Huynh (pronounced "Hahn Win") for updates on the transit fiscal cliff. The Illinois General Assembly failed to pass a public transportation funding and governance reform bill before the spring legislative session ended on May 31, so Chicagoland is now at risk of Draconian cuts next year.

View yesterday's Streetsblog photos of the four new Red Line stations here.

Thanks Obama! If you're psyched about the four new ADA-accessible, aesthetically pleasing Red Line stations that opened in Uptown and Edgewater this morning, give a hat-tip to the 44th president, a former Chicagoan.

Last week, the CTA's Red and Purple Modernization team and the organizers of the upcoming 2025 Transport Chicago conference hosted a tour of Phase One of the the 'L' corridor rehab. Overhauled stations in Uptown and Edgewater are slated to re-open this summer. Transport Chicago, taking place on Friday, June 13, bills itself as "providing a forum for the exchange of knowledge in transportation, research, policy, and practice."

This week, the CTA released the final design concepts for a pedestrian path and other new amenities on a 1.3-mile segment under Red and Purple tracks, between the Lawrence and Bryn Mawr stations in Uptown and Edgewater. At the second of two community meeting this week, held last night at Truman College, 1945 W. Wilson, attendees seemed generally satisfied with the design.

The transit agency held public meetings in Uptown and Edgewater, showcasing plans for natural areas, workout spots, plazas, and a skate park.

Of course the most effective way for the CTA to change public perceptions that the system is unreliable, unsafe, and unsanitary is to significantly improve reliability, safety, and sanitation.

CTA staffers shared a tentative timeline that suggests the project could take around 12 years, with engineering of the next phase starting as Phase I construction wraps up.