Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) announced that the CTA Board has approved an amendment to its FY2016-FY2020 Capital Improvement Plan to include $75 million in funding for the Red Line Extension (RLE) project, a plan to extend Red Line rail service to 130th Street from 95th Street that includes four new rail stations on Chicago’s Far South Side.
The investment will allow CTA to continue to move forward with preliminary engineering and analysis necessary to finalize the project alignment and to complete a final environmental impact statement. The engineering work is also required for CTA to apply for more than $1 billion in federal funds that CTA is seeking to support the $2.3 billion project.
“The Red Line Extension project is a transformational project to expand transit to Chicago’s southern border and create faster access to jobs, education and opportunity,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “This investment will allow CTA to move forward with preliminary engineering and planning work necessary to seek federal funding to make this vision a reality for Chicago’s Far South Side.”
The 5.3-mile rail extension would include four new stations near 103rd Street, 111th Street, Michigan Avenue, and 130th Street, each of which would include bus and parking facilities.
CTA anticipates procurement for further environmental planning and engineering work will occur in 2017. The amendment will be funded by CTA bonds.
More information is available on the CMAP website.