The first construction permit has been issued for the $25 million overhaul of the Jefferson Park Transit Center on Chicago's Northwest Side per Chicago Curbed. This is a very good indication that groundbreaking will be taking place soon and was recently announced by the Chicago Transit Authority that work would begin this fall. Work was originally expected to start this summer and finish in 2019 but this newly revised timeline might impact the delivery date. The Jefferson Park station renovation consists of the following:
- New bus canopies
- Lighting systems
- Signage
- Accessibility improvements
- New escalators and stairs
- Updates to the platforms
- New art work in bus area by artist Jamie Pawlus
The Jefferson Park Transit Center is an intermodal connection point for the CTA's Blue Line trains, Metra's Union Pacific Northwest Line and about a dozen bus routes. 20,000 commuters will be served daily. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed this facility in 1970 and this will be the largest upgrade since then.
Walsh Construction is the general contractor for the Jefferson Park project and Exp Design Firm is the Project's architect. Walsh Construction also was the general contractor for the new Belmont Blue Line and the Garfield Green Line stations in late 2017.
The Jefferson Park and Belmont stations are the fourth and seventh busiest stations along the Blue Line's O'Hare branch according to the CTA. This is a major transfer point for travelers heading to and from O'Hare Airport.
Per Chicago CBS, the Blue Line renovations are part of the $500 million "Your New Blue" project which calls for rebuilding 14 outdated Blue Line stations, replacing aging track and upgrading existing signals. The Belmont station has seen only minor renovations since it was built about 50 years ago. A new steel and glass gateway will be built at the entrance of the Belmont station. The $17 million in upgrades will include LED lighting, a resurfaced subway platform and new signs to speed up bus boarding.
"We don't have any plans for any fare increases in the near future. We just did a fare increase, as you know, this year"
CTA President | Dorval Carter
Work at Belmont should be completed by the end of the year and the upgrades at Jefferson Park will be finished in 2019. Dorval Carter, CTA President, assured riders that these improvements will not increase the price of fares. The mayor's office has stated that when completed, the project will shave 10 minutes off a round trip between O'Hare and downtown.