CTA to unveil plans to rehabilitate a pair of NW Side Blue Line stations

Mayor Rahm Emanuel will join CTA officials Tuesday morning to outline plans to rehabilitate two Blue Line stations on the Northwest Side.

The modernization and restoration of the Belmont and Jefferson Park stations will be the largest such efforts of the CTA’s Your New Blue program, according to CTA spokesman Brian Steele. The $492 million project aims to rehabilitate 14 stations on the O’Hare Branch of the Blue Line.

“These two projects are just the latest in the largest comprehensive investment in the Blue Line since it was extended to O’Hare in 1984,” Steele said. “Your New Blue is an important investment in the CTA’s second-busiest rail line, and will improve commutes and boost communities along the line.”

The Belmont station’s $17 million rehab includes plans to upgrade the bus turnaround area and create a striking canopy over the station entrance, said Steele, who noted that the new entryway will also serve as a “neighborhood landmark.” The plan also calls for improvements to the stationhouse and platform.

The Jefferson Park station, which is an important hub for multiple bus routes and Metra trains, will undergo $25 million in improvements. That includes significant upgrades to the bus terminal area, stationhouse and platform. As part of the effort, the CTA will replace stairs and escalators, install new canopies and lighting, repaint the station and perform structural repairs.

In addition, the Your New Blue project will replace and repair tracks and modernize signals along the 12-mile stretch of the Blue Line that connects the Loop to O’Hare International Airport, Steele said. The funding for the project comes from state and federal sources.

Later this year, the CTA will begin rehabilitation efforts at the Blue Line’s Division, Chicago and Grand subway stations, Steele said.

At 7:30 a.m., Emanuel and CTA officials will preview the project at the Belmont station, 3355 W. Belmont Ave., according to the mayor’s office. They will then detail modernization efforts about 20 minutes later at the Jefferson Park station, 4917 N. Milwaukee Ave.