CTA Red and Purple Line Modernization Project

OWNER: Chicago Chicago Transit Authority
CLIENT: Elevated Solution Partners
PROJECT: CTA Red & Purple Line Modernization
LOCATION: Chicago, IL
CONSTRUCTION START: May 2019
COMPLETION: August 2025

The $2.2 Billion Red and Purple Line Modernization Program is the largest capital improvement project ever undertaken by Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). The multi-phase project includes replacing, reconstructing, and modernizing all stations, 11 miles of track, and support structures north of Belmont Ave. For the past three years, the Red-Purple Bypass has been under construction just north of the busy Belmont Ave station. The bypass will alleviate the capacity issues of the 115-year-old track junction of the Brown Line and the Red/Purple Line by providing Brown Line tracks that overpass the Red/Purple Line.

Work has also begun on the Lawrence-Bryn Mawr Modernization. The work scope includes rebuilding the Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn, and Bryn Mawr stations and reconstructing the existing four tracks. The new stations will include modern amenities and elevators to make them accessible to riders with disabilities. The new track structure will provide better clearance over the existing streets, and wider station platforms will improve train speeds and service reliability.

Autumn’s Safety Manager, Joy Banks, has been kept busy on a project that includes multiple shifts, track shutdowns, and construction work at various locations. Ms. Banks and her staff monitor the Contractor’s construction activities in adherence to the Safety Program, manage the environmental waste compliance, conduct safety meetings, provide the CTA with analysis and recommendations on potential safety issues, attend weekly Progress and Pre-Activity meetings, and maintain documentation and tracking logs of the Safety Program.