The city is hoping the State/Lake CTA station, one of the city’s original L stops and now one of its busiest, will soon be getting a mega facelift.
The century-old platform downtown is slated to undergo a $180 million makeover in the coming years that will make the station fully accessible and add a large glass canopy overhead, among other improvements.
On Wednesday, the Chicago Transit Authority and the Chicago Department of Transportation gave Chicagoans a first look at what the updated station might look like.
The two agencies unveiled renderings featuring the preliminary architectural concepts for the modernization project that will widen platforms and add four elevators to the State/Lake station.
It’s unclear when the construction process, which is being led by CDOT on the CTA’s behalf, will begin. Full funding for the project has yet to be secured, but once that’s in place, the project is expected to take about three years, CDOT spokesperson Mike Claffey said.
The station will be demolished and closed during the rebuild, but the tracks will remain in service, Claffey said.
The State/Lake station, built in 1895, serves five of the CTA’s eight rail lines. In 2019, it was the second busiest station in the Loop, with more than 3.7 million annual entries.
“Given that the State and Lake CTA Station lies within the beating heart of Chicago, we must pave the way for its full modernization and make it easily accessible for all transit riders,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement. “In addition to accessibility, this project also demonstrates our commitment to the full revival of the Loop — which is the economic engine and cultural hub of our great city.”
Platforms at the rebuilt State/Lake station will be double the current width, and there will be four elevators, one on each corner. Other new amenities for the station include a large glass canopy to protect riders from the elements and north and south facing balconies overlooking State Street. A walkway will connect the inner and outer platforms.
“The design for the new State and Lake CTA station provides a first class, fully accessible new gateway serving transit riders from every corner of Chicago at this historic intersection in the center of the City,” CDOT Commissioner Gia Biagi said in a statement. “The investment in this light-filled new transit hub sends a strong message that Chicago’s downtown is coming back better than ever from the challenges we’ve faced in the last year.”
This is the latest project in the modernization of the nation’s second-largest transit agency.
Last week, Lightfoot broke ground on four North Side Red Line stations — Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr — which are currently undergoing complete makeovers as part of the $4.7 billion Red and Purple Modernization Project that started in 2014.
