The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) announced a series of events that will advance the Red Line Extension (RLE) Project, which will extend the rail service to 130th Street from 95th Street. The 5.3-mile Red Line Extension (RLE) project includes four new stations near 103rd Street, 111th Street, Michigan Avenue, and 130th Street, each of which would include bus and parking facilities. The current estimated cost of the project is $2.3 billion.
The following developments related to the RLE Project will take place:
- On October 6, 2016, CTA will publish a comprehensive Draft Environmental Impact Study (EIS), a requirement for obtaining federal funding. The Draft EIS details the impacts of both proposed options for the project. The public can then review the Draft EIS online.
- The CTA will accept formal comments from the public as part of the federal Draft EIS between October 6 and November 30, 2016. The feedback will be used in future planning decisions, including selecting one of the two alignment options for the project.
- The CTA will hold a public hearing on November 1, 2016, for the public to learn more about the project, ask questions and provide comments.
- The CTA will also begin to notify property owners whose property may be necessary to acquire for the project. The CTA is not yet acquiring properties for the RLE Project because it has not yet selected a final alignment, nor has it secured federal funding for the project.
“We are pleased to make progress on this transformational Red Line project, which will expand transit for the Far South Side and create faster access to jobs, education and opportunity,” stated Dorval R. Carter, Jr., CTA president. “As we move forward in the comprehensive federally required planning process for this project, we continue to make significant investment in the South Side that include the new 95th Terminal, improved Red and Green Line service and expanded bus service on multiple routes to better serve our customers.”
Two years ago, the CTA narrowed the potential RLE Project alternatives to one “preferred alternative” with two possible options – one east and one west of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks on the South Side. CTA anticipates announcing the preferred option for the location of the extension of the project in 2017.
Depending on funding availability and federal regulatory approvals, CTA anticipates publishing a Final EIS by the end of 2018. Once CTA has completed the Final EIS the process of securing funding will begin, which is expected to include a mix of federal and local funds. That could include the creation of a special transit-only tax-increment financing district, authorized by the General Assembly in June 2016, which could provide local funding for the Red Line Extension Project.