advertisement

---

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) recently announced a temporary station closure plan and provided a three-month construction schedule for the Brown Line capacity expansion project.

CTA plans to temporarily close the Chicago, Armitage, Sedgwick, Kimball, Kedzie, Francisco and Rockwell stations at various times during construction. However, the authority won’t close two adjacent stations at the same time during weekdays.

In fall 2005, CTA approved a $45.5 million contract to expand and upgrade the Chicago, Armitage and Sedgwick stations, and a $19.9 million contract to expand the Kimball, Kedzie, Francisco, Rockwell and Western stations, and complete handicapped accessibility improvements at the Kedzie, Francisco and Rockwell stations.

Contractors will demolish existing structures on the properties, and construct modern station houses and canopies, and install fare equipment and public address systems.

The $530 million Brown Line capacity expansion project includes lengthening platforms to accommodate eight-car trains, rehabilitating 18 stations, upgrading or replacing traction power, and reducing slow zones.

Running between downtown and Chicago’s northwest side, the more than century-old Brown Line is CTA’s third-busiest line, averaging more than 66,000 passengers daily.