FEATURE ARTICLE

FEATURE

Advancing City Transit

TYLin’s office in Chicago, Illinois, is proud to lead the team bringing a long-awaited transit improvement for the Chicago area closer to reality.

In August 2022, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and the Federal Transit Administration, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, announced the publication of the combined Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/ Record of Decision (ROD) and Final Section 4(f) Evaluation for the Red Line Extension (RLE). Meeting this milestone helps the CTA advance the RLE to the next steps of the federal New Starts funding program and keeps it on track for construction to start in 2025.

The RLE is a 5.6-mile extension of Chicago’s most traveled rail line and includes four new passenger stations and a railyard and shop. A major focus of the project has been on the economic development opportunities it will create in the city’s Far South Side. Residents will benefit from reduced commute times, improved mobility and accessibility options, and connections to other transportation modes. In addition, new stations could serve as catalysts for neighborhood revitalization, spur the development of transit-supportive communities, and help reverse decades of disinvestment in local business districts.

The TYLin team is responsible for developing the conceptual design and documentation to produce the Final EIS and ROD, 30% plans and specifications, estimates of construction cost, and supporting the CTA in the development of Bridging Procurement documents for an intended DesignBuild procurement. The CTA is planning for the RLE to be operable in 2029.

Projects like the RLE are part of CTA’s Red Ahead program, a comprehensive initiative for maintaining, modernizing, and expanding Chicago’s mosttraveled rail line.

Red Line Extension Rendering (Photo Courtesy of Chicago Transit Authority)

Rendering of area redevelopment near 103rd Street station. (Photo Courtesy of Chicago Transit Authority)

A Legacy of Service

TYLin has served on many transit-related projects for the CTA. Past projects include serving as the Designer of Record for improvements at eight Red Line transit stations along the Dan Ryan Expressway as part of the CTA’s overarching Dan Ryan Track Renewal and Stations Improvement Project. This project included adding elevators at three stations and lighting and drainage improvements, canopy and platform repairs, and steel cleaning or painting performed at all locations.

The Broadway Substation Upgrades was another project for the Red Line, where TYLin led the design team and served as the Designer of Record during construction. The upgrades to the substation, which had most of its power equipment installed in the 1960s, were designed to help support the future growth of passenger riders and build community resilience.

TYLin was also selected by the CTA to provide Preliminary Engineering services for Phase I of the Red and Purple Modernization Project (RPM), the largest capital improvement project in the history of the CTA. Since the corridor was built almost 100 years ago, the number of riders on these lines has increased significantly. The RPM is necessary to add much-needed capacity to ensure the economic growth and residential stability of the corridor and will be built in phases.

Red Line transit stations along the Dan Ryan Expressway corridor in Chicago, IL. (Photo Courtesy of Blueprint 22 Photography) SUPPORTING APTA

Our connection with the CTA includes our proud support of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the new APTA Board chair, Dorval Carter, CTA President.

RENDERING OF ELEVATED RLE STATION ON CHICAGO’S FAR SOUTH SIDE. (PHOTO COURTESY OF CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY)