ABOUT THE
I-290 Blue Line Reconstruction Project
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) are partnering to invest in improvements to the Interstate-290 multimodal corridor that includes both the CTA Forest Park Branch of the Blue Line and the I-290 Eisenhower Expressway.
The purpose of this project is to provide an improved transportation facility the Interstate 290 Eisenhower Expressway multimodal corridor.
Five purpose and need points have been identified for improving transportation flow throughout this corridor.
Mobility For Regional And Local Travel
Access to Employment
Safety
Modal Connections And Opportunities
Transportation Facility Deficiencies
This Project is the first substantial reconstruction investment in the I-290 Eisenhower Expressway Corridor since its Construction in the 1950’s.
The I-290 Blue Line Project is located in Cook County and extends 13.5 miles centered along I-290 from Wolf Rd. on the west to Racine Avenue on the east.
The purpose of the project is to improve transportation performance along the I-290 multi-modal corridor. The specific transportation goals that have been identified are:
- Improve Mobility for Regional and Local Travel
- Improve Access to Employment Centers
- Improve Safety
- Improve Transit Connections and Opportunities
- Improve Facility Deficiencies
Reconstruction & Modernization
I-290 Eisenhower Expressway
The I-290 project will reconstruct and modernize the I-290 Eisenhower Expressway from west of Mannheim Road. to Racine Avenue including:
- 13.5 miles of expressway reconstruction, widening and rehabilitation
- Reconstruction of 5 of Interchanges, and rehabilitation/replacement of overhead bridges
- Drainage system improvements
- Additional lanes from West of Mannheim Road to East of Austin Boulevard
- Shoulder improvements for Pace on Shoulder service
- Possible Express Toll Lanes the Length of the Project
- Work will be coordinated with the CTA’s Blue Line Forest Branch Reconstruction, including possible branch extension to Mannheim Rd.
CTA Blue Line Forest Park Branch
The CTA’s Forest Park Branch of the Blue Line reconstruction project will reconstruct the Blue Line from Canal Street to the Forest Park Station including:
- Full Modernization of Existing Infrastructure
- Rehabilitation/replacement of all track, ballast and drainage system.
- Rebuilding 7 rail stations to meet modern accessibility guidelines and full ADA Accessibility for all stations
- Upgrades to power Systems and Future Capacity Increases
- Forest Park terminal and yard modernization
- Possible extension of the Blue Line to Mannheim Road
I-290 Eisenhower Expressway History
In 1940, the City Council of Chicago established the Westside Route, or Congress Expressway, as their first priority in a citywide comprehensive superhighway system. The work on Congress Expressway was expected to begin quickly after World War II was over, but skyrocketing costs, limited funding, extensive utility relocation, poor subsurface conditions, and the need for agreements with three railroads, multiple municipalities and a cemetery all added time and cost to the project schedule.
Construction would also have to accommodate the CTA Congress Line in the median and the temporary relocation of the Douglas Park CTA line. As a result, the first section of the expressway was not completed until December 1954.
Construction of individual sections from Mannheim Road (US 12/20/45) to Racine Avenue were completed between 1954 and 1960, making it one of the oldest sections of the region’s expressway infrastructure. This section of I-290, named the Eisenhower Expressway, was also the first expressway in the United States to incorporate a rapid transit line and an expressway within the same corridor.
Serving as the western gateway to the city of Chicago and the Loop, I-290 is a major link in the transportation network serving northeast Illinois. This section of I-290 is the primary corridor connecting commuters between the western suburbs and the City of Chicago Loop, as well as connecting commuters from south Cook County to the high employment centers found in the I-88 Corridor and the O’Hare International Airport commerce centers.
In 2009 the Illinois Department of Transportation initiated the Eisenhower Expressway Preliminary Engineering and Environmental (Phase 1) Study. The study took an in-depth look at the current and future transportation needs of the corridor and included an extensive public involvement process.
CTA Blue Line Forest Park Branch History
During the original construction of the Eisenhower Expressway, the CTA Garfield Park rapid transit branch was removed and replaced with what is now known as the Blue Line Forest Park Branch. This heavy rail transit line was constructed parallel to the Eisenhower Expressway, running along the south side of the roadway or in the median.
As part of the construction of the Eisenhower Expressway, the freight railroad owned by Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad, which ran at-grade along the current alignment of the Expressway, was grade-separated and relocated adjacent to the south side of the CTA tracks, sharing the same “cut” with the CTA and the expressway from east of Des Plaines Avenue to Central Avenue. This freight rail line is now owned and operated by CSX Transportation.
In 2013 the Chicago Transit Authority initiated the Blue Line Forest Park Branch Feasibility/Vision Study to determine a long-term planning strategy for the Blue Line Forest Park Branch, with study limits including the entire Blue Line Forest Park Branch from Clinton station to Forest Park station, including the evaluation of potential expansion alternatives proposed by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) through their in their I-290 Final Environmental Impact Statement that continues to Mannheim Road.