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27th Ward Newsletter
February 9, 2017 

Mayor Emanuel, Alderman Burnett, Jr. & Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Announce Plans for New Green Line Station at Damen Avenue

New station to fulfill a longstanding need for better transit options on Chicago's Near West Side


Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined Alderman Walter Burnett,Jr. (27th Ward) Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) President Dorval R. Carter and city officials today to announce plans for a brand-new CTA station on the Green Line at Damen Avenue-the latest investment in transportation infrastructure that will modernize and improve the nation's second-largest transit system. 

The new station will fill a 1.1 mile gap between existing Green Line stations at California and Ashland to better serve the growing business corridor and residential neighborhood on Chicago's Near West side. "Today we close the transit gap and provide local residents and businesses with the new station they have been asking for. The new station at Damen will fulfill a longstanding need for better transit options in the neighborhood and spur economic activity, improving quality of life for everyone who lives and works in the area.," said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. 

The Damen station will be the third new Chicago CTA station opened by Mayor Emanuel since 2011, and will serve a Near West Side community that has seen notable residential and commercial growth in recent years. The new station will improve public transit options for businesses in the Kinzie Corridor, visitors to the United Center, and nearby residents, including tenants of the Chicago Housing Authority's Villages of Westhaven complex. 

"Giving residents more transportation options can open up more employment opportunities, make it easier for them to get to schools and improve their overall quality of life," Alderman Burnett. "I am pleased that the City is moving forward on closing the gap in public transportation that will assist our residents and allow for future growth in our community."

Similar in-fill stations, or stations that close the gap between existing stations, were built at Morgan (Green and Pink lines, 2012) and Cermak-McCormick Place (Green Line, 2015).

Funding for the project will be provided by the Kinzie Industrial Corridor Tax Increment Financing district. Design and engineering work for the station is expected to begin in the summer of 2017, and construction work is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2018. The project is expected to take two years to complete.




Alderman Walter Burnett, Jr. will guest star on  "Making a Difference!" Tonight, at 5 pm on Channel 5 NBC Chicago. 

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Chicago Transit Authority CTA
CTA Reroute 53 Pulaski Closed at Washington 
Water Main Install February to March 8, 2017

Effective Wednesday, February through March 8, 2017, due to sewer main installations Pulaski  northbound only between Madison and Washington eastbound only between Pulaski and Hamlin will be closed to all vehicles traffic. Therefore, the following bus route will be rerouted:
 
 
Route(s):


Length:
February -  March 08, 2017 - 4:00 PM
 
How does this affect my trip?

Northbound  buses will operate via Pulaski, Madison, Karlov, and West End, then resume their normal route on Pulaski.
 
Southbound  buses are not affected.
 
Allow extra travel time.
 
Why is service being changed? 
Buses are rerouted due to sewer main construction at Pulaski/Washington.

For additional information visit:  http://ctabustracker.com/bustime/home.jsp 


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Chicago Transit Authority CTA
CTA to Upgrade Three Substations to Improve Service and Reliability

The Chicago Transit Board today approved a contract to upgrade three substations that provide power to all eight of CTA's rail lines. The East Lake, Milwaukee and Illinois substations will be modernized to improve service and reliability for customers by upgrading the traction power equipment that helps move trains across the system.
 
"This investment will improve service reliability for rail customers by upgrading three substations that are decades old," said CTA President Dorval R. Carter. "These investments in aging infrastructure are critical to our goal of a 21st century transit system. "
 
The Board awarded the $42.9 million contract to Clark Construction Group. All three substations will receive improvements to the traction power equipment that helps move trains across the system. The substations date back as far as 1910 and the upgrades will further improve the reliability of service.
 
These upgrades are critical because substations convert electric power to the appropriate voltage, type and frequency so that it can supply CTA's railways with traction. With 64 substations throughout the system, CTA works diligently to ensure these structures are properly maintained to keep trains running properly.

The investment is funded by Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) Bonds and is expected to be completed in spring 2020.










Walter Burnett, Jr.
Alderman, 27th Ward       
'Together, we all can make a difference!'