CHICAGO (WLS) — Starting Jan. 5, one of the busiest CTA stations will close until 2029.
That’s because the 130 year old State and Lake stop will be demolished.
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A brand new station designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill will be built.
The station serves the Brown, Green, Orange, Pink and Purple lines and is one of the busiest CTA stations in the city.
A brand new station designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill will be built.
Anne Zhang is a deputy commissioner for the Chicago Department of Transportation. She says much of what’s not working about the current station comes down to accessibility.
“The station isn’t accessible to folks in wheelchairs, and we’re trying to make it accessible for all of our transit riders,” Zhang said.
But there are other concerns that led to this rebuilding of the station.
“Safety and visibility, making sure that there are no maintenance concerns,” says Zhang, “And we want to make sure that it’s top notch and reflective of a world-class facility for a world-class city like Chicago.”
Scott Duncan is a partner with Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, which designed the new station.
“If you go to the station now, you’ll see it’s got these very, very narrow platforms. You can barely get by in some places,” Duncan said.
In addition to the needs of CTA passengers, he also considered the nearby architecture in designing the new station.
“We’re surrounded by buildings that are just so of Chicago. And so, from the beginning, we thought about how to complement those buildings but do so in a very modern way,” says Duncan. “We ask for a lot of patience and grace. We are working around the clock and will be directing folks to utilize, for transfers, the Clark and Lake and the Washington and Wabash stations. They’re both two blocks away, and they’re both fully accessible.”
For those wondering how and why this project will take so long, Duncan has this answer: “It is not an aesthetic upgrade, it’s not a superficial upgrade, it’s kind of open heart surgery on a station. We’re going to be replacing almost the entire station.”
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