Delivering transit along a 9.6-mile corridor
The team provided coordinated planning and engineering across a lengthy, complex corridor.
Markets
Priorities
Advancing corridor-scale transit modernization
Chicago’s Red and Purple lines are the busiest and oldest rail corridor in the city, with infrastructure dating back to 1900. To address this, CTA made its largest capital investment, the Red and Purple Modernization Program (RPM), to expand the capacity and improve long-term reliability along the 9.6-nile corridor within different phases. To assist CTA in obtaining federal Core Capacity grants, the CWC Transit Group (CDM Smith, Jacobs Engineering, Wight & Company) delivered two NEPA analyses and conceptual engineering. FTA issued a Finding of No Significant Impact in late 2015 after an accelerated 18-month schedule, enabling CTA to move the project forward and apply for further federal funding.
Service for 150,000 daily riders
We addressed capacity constraints on a high-demand rail corridor through the heart of Chicago.
$1.07B in federal funding secured
We supported CTA in securing significant federal funding through successful federal approval.
Historic prevention and environmental justice
The project advanced transit modernization while addressing historic preservation and environmental justice priorities.
One important goal of this project was careful consideration of and response to public input. For instance, the team solicited feedback from linguistically isolated Asian communities in the project area who had been traditionally underrepresented in decision-making for public works. Many indicated that the meetings felt like the first time their point of view was taken into account; the fact that the meetings provided a voice to these communities went far in helping CTA win public support for the project. In addition to the environmental justice program, the project team conducted extensive outreach to property owners who would be displaced by construction of the new bypass.
The 45,000 people who live within a half-mile of the four targeted stations and depend on transit will have improved access and experience with the Red and Purple lines. Commuters will also save upwards of half a million travel hours each year thanks to the bypass, which will eliminate train backups and improve the system’s overall capacity.