CTA To Refurbish Loop 'L' Tracks
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Chicago Transit Authority 'L' tracks are getting a makeover in the Loop.
A $39 million track replacement project is scheduled to start April 20, and will continue on certain weekends through November.
The 'L' structure that encircles the Loop running over Wells Street, Van Buren Street, Wabash Avenue and Lake Street, is 115 years old. Some of the timbers and wooden ties that support and secure the steel structure are severely decayed.
The Chicago Tribune reports at the Quincy station, the condition of the ties was so poor that sunbeams were shining right through them down onto the street. The inner rails, which are only used to right a derailed train, were severely rusted and chipped, the Tribune reported.
The renewal work will affect the Wells and Van Buren Street stretches of the Loop 'L' and part of the Wabash Avenue stretch. It will also affect the Hubbard Curve on the Brown-Purple Line tracks just north of the Merchandise Mart station, and the Lake Street-Wells and Wabash-Van Buren junctions, the Tribune reported.
The CTA says some shuttle buses will be added, and there will be no major problems for commuters, the Tribune reported.
