Chicago Construction News staff writer
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) recently announced the start of a $19.6-million project to demolish the more than 40-year-old Harlem Blue Line station bus bridge deck and reconstruct a new one in its place.
The steel and concrete elevated bus bridge spans the entire width of the Kennedy Expressway and serves as a bus boarding area featuring a five-lane bus bay with canopy, as well as a commuter drop-off area.
Construction, funded by the state and federal governments, is expected to be completed by early 2025.
“As we’ve done for decades and across our system, a variety of maintenance functions have been performed over the years to maximize the longevity of this bus bridge, which is now beyond its useful life and requires full replacement,” said President Dorval R. Carter Jr. “As part of this year-long project, we are committed to minimizing impacts to our bus an rail riders as much as possible, while keeping to an aggressive construction timeline.”
The Harlem station was originally built in 1982-1983 as part of the CTA’s O’Hare Branch extension of the Blue Line. This $19.6 million reconstruction project is funded by a mix of state and federal resources.
