Recent Rain Storms Turn New 'Waterfall' Canopy At Belmont Station Into Leaking Waterfall
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The recent rain storms have exposed leaks in a brand new, multi-million dollar CTA stop, and it's not the only new structure with problems.
Construction just wrapped at the end of March on a $17 million renovation of the Belmont stop. That includes the new glass canopy where the leaks are coming from.
Now, a local alderman is asking CTA to do something about it, and the CTA said it will.
As a rainstorm pummeled Chicago Monday night, one Blue Line rider took out his phone and snapped a picture showing the leaks at Belmont and Kimball.
Vanessa Ortiz said she's also noticed the leaks, which start where the design curves.
"I use [the station] everyday to go to work," she said. "If they're going to spend a lot of money on that stuff, then they should fix the things that we have wrong."
When the city celebrated the renovations in March, the architects behind the project told CBS 2 they were inspired by a waterfall. But, they didn't have an actual waterfall in mind.
Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th Ward) said in a statement Thursday that his office reported the leaks to the CTA.
"We are asking that they immediately take action to make repairs and hope they will do so," he said.
Dorothy Siwik said she also uses the stop daily.
"I'm glad the alderman is doing something about it," she said.
Siwik said she saw a few leaks this week, but at the old stop, the problem was much worse.
"Before the construction, there were leaks already, but there were more leaks," she said.
And Belmont isn't the only new stop with water issues.
A WBBM Radio reporter tweeted video Monday from the Washington-Wabash CTA station.
Flooding at Washington and Wabash @cta station. @WBBMNewsradio pic.twitter.com/Wdo7K7j8Md
— Stephen Miller (@ssmiller) May 27, 2019
The water was pooling in an area below the platform, near the turnstiles and stairs. That station just opened in 2017 with a total cost of $75 million.
The CTA sent a statement, saying they've already started planning repairs at both stops. A spokesperson says it's not uncommon for new structures to experience minor issues. They say the canopy is covered by a warranty, and it will be repaired by a contractor at no cost to the CTA.
