WHY NOW?
The Importance of the I-290 Blue Line Reconstruction Project
The I-290 Blue Line Corridor has suffered from a lack of investment for an entire generation. Funding this project will take federal, state and local support. While the availability of federal funding for highway and transit projects today is in flux, the long-term financial need for the I-290 Blue Line Project continues to grow exponentially. When the Record of Decision to go forward with the project was issued in 2017 by USDOT, the estimated cost of the project for both the highway and rail components was $3.2 billion. Today that number exceeds $10 billion – and growing. Waiting is not an option.
The principal reasons both I-290 and the Blue-Line need to be reconstructed is their age, declining condition, public safety, reliability and economic sustainability.
The Most Congested Expressway in America and Seventy Year Old Rails
As “the most congested expressway in America,” the Eisenhower is long overdue for a rebuild. Built in the 1950s to what was then state of the art highway standards today is outdated and crumbling. Likewise, the CTA Forest Park Blue Line Branch runs on seventy-year-old rail with poorly designed stations that limits safe pedestrian access with little protection from the elements.
Relief Now
With a total cost of over $10 billion it would be easy to push this project into a “someday it will get done” future. But the 200,000 vehicles traveling on the Eisenhower every day, and the 4 million CTA riders annually cannot wait for that – they need relief now.
It is time for a collaborative effort of public and private sector leaders to work together to make this project a regional priority and find the necessary funding to complete the reconstruction of this corridor.
Originally built In the 1950s, the expressway is outdated and crumbling.
The CTA runs on seventy-year-old rail with poorly designed stations that affect pedestrian access and safety.
200,000 vehicles travel on the Eisenhower daily
4 million CTA riders annually
The I-290 Eisenhower Expressway Reconstruction Considerations
Over 60 Years Old
The existing pavement and bridges are now more than 60 years old, exceeding their typical service life by at least 30 years.
Structurally Deficient & Functionally Obsolete Bridges
Of the 44 bridges, 40% are in “poor” condition.
Traffic Exceeds Capacity by 34%
Traffic volumes on I-290 currently exceed its ideal design capacity by up to 34%.
87% Operates in Severe Congestion
As much as 87% of the expressway operates in severe congestion for much of the day which negatively affect local and regional travel.
2,000 Crashes Per Year
I-290 averages 2,000 crashes per year, a 70% higher rate as the other similar sections of the Chicagoland expressway system.
Reduced Accessibility to Jobs
Congestion on I-290 results in long travel times, thus reducing accessibility to jobs from and through the project area.
Average of 4.3 Fatal Crashes
The 13-mile stretch of I-290 had 43 fatal crashes from 2010 through 2019, with 4.3 fatal crashes occurring on average each year.
Traffic Diverts onto Local Arterials
Congestion on I-290 is causing expressway traffic to divert onto the local arterials.
Reduction in Lanes
In the section east of Mannheim Road to Austin Boulevard, I-290 has only three lanes in each direction.
This reduction in lanes has been a long-standing source of congestion, safety, operational, and capacity concerns.
Disconnected Communities
The construction of the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) in the 1950s created significant physical, social, and economic divisions across Chicago’s West Side and adjacent western suburbs. As a result, these communities have often suffered from disinvestment social disconnection.
The CTA Blue Line Forest Park Branch Reconstruction Considerations
Operates at Decreased Capacity
The Blue Line Forest Park branch operates at decreased capacity and facility deficiencies in the corridor inhibit access to transit facilities and hamper optimum provision of transit services.
Nearly 4 Million Passengers
On an average weekday pre-pandemic, the Blue Line Forest Park Branch carried 13,000 passengers – nearly 4 million passengers per year.
83% Operates Under Slow Zones
More than 83% of the branch operates under slow zones because of track conditions – more track miles than any other branch in the system. Slow zones cause delays, unreliable service, and longer travel times for daily commuters.
90% of Deteriorating Original Track
Only 10% of the track system on this branch has been replaced, leaving 90% from the original installation in 1958. The age of this infrastructure leads to poor drainage and the gradual deterioration to rail ties, tracks, and ballast.
Safety Hazards to Transit Riders
CTA Blue Line stations adjacent to I-290 require transit riders to use narrow sidewalks along busy roads and pedestrian crosswalks that lack appropriate markings and signals across I-290 ramps.
6 CTA Stations are non-compliant with the Accessibility for People with Disabilities requirements.
6 of the 11 CTA Blue Line Forest Park stations are not accessible to customers with disabilities.
Vehicle Noise and Harsh Weather
The design of the station platforms adjacent to I-290 highway leaves customers exposed to vehicle noise and harsh weather elements.
Limited Pedestrian Access to Station
Pedestrian access to the station access is constrained by the highway access and narrow sidewalks.
Conditions Cannot Efficiently Support Operations or Demand
The CTA Des Plaines in Forest Park Yard and Shop at the end of the branch was built in 1959 and does not efficiently support operations necessary to meet current demand levels on the Blue Line as a whole.
Bad Connections Between Transit Hinder Effectiveness of Travel
The connections between transit, bike/pedestrian and vehicle modes along the corridor are poor. Narrow sidewalks, difficult street crossings, and buses stopping in traffic hinder the effectiveness of each travel mode.
“It is time we modernize this regional transportation hub. The Ike is our gateway to Chicago from the western suburbs and a vital asset of the CTA and freight railroad lines. Most importantly, we have the chance to do this project right – to reconnect our communities and repair the racial inequities and the displacement caused by the original construction of this interstate.”
The Benefits of the I-290 Blue Line Reconstruction
Completion of this comprehensive multimodal corridor project will:
Save $2.7 Billion
in travel time savings
Create 22,000
construction related jobs
$68 Million
increase in economic activity
90% Reduction
of slow zones on the CTA’s Blue Line
6% Reduction
in vehicle crashes
- Improve safety for pedestrians, transit users, and motorists.
- Redesign and improve multiple exit ramps and interchanges on I-290.
- Reconstruct and modernize multiple CTA stations to be fully ADA accessible.
- Environmental & Operational Resiliency: Upgrades stormwater drainage infrastructure to mitigate flooding on both I-290 and CTA tracks.
- Accommodates Pace express bus on shoulder service.
- Reconstructs three bridges (Cicero, Lavergne, and Lombard) that are obsolete/in poor condition.
- Equity & Community Connectivity: Reconnects local communities along the corridor, repairing historical equity and displacement issues while offering enhanced, reliable service to historically disadvantaged populations.
- Provide an overall welcoming and inviting transit customer environment that will cultivate increased transit use in this corridor.
- Improves freight movement.
Given this pivotal moment in our industry with the infrastructure funds, we can continue Daniel Burnham’s legacy and invest in I-290 and the Blue Line together to create a multi-modal corridor – a real game-changer that can deliver the biggest, boldest impact to our entire region.