By Townhall Chicago News Staff
The Chicago Department of Transportation on Sunday announced a two-day extension of the Lake Street bridge replacement project, pushing the completion time from Monday to 4 a.m. Wednesday.
The delay affects Green and Pink Line CTA riders who have contended with rerouted service since the bridge closed for major reconstruction on Oct. 13. Complex structural, electrical and mechanical alignments on the newly replaced bridge leaf created unanticipated issues that required additional work, according to a CDOT press release.
While CDOT crews continue work on the bridge, the CTA completed its own track and interlocking maintenance at Tower 18 over the weekend on schedule. Brown, Orange and Purple Line trains resumed normal operations and began serving the Loop Elevated tracks at 4 a.m. Monday.
Green and Pink Line riders, however, will continue to face service disruptions through at least early Wednesday morning.
Green Line trains will operate in two segments: between Harlem/Lake and Clinton, and between Clark/Lake and South Side terminals, according to the CTA. Free bus shuttles will carry passengers between Clinton and Clark/Lake stations.
Pink Line trains will run between 54th/Cermak and the Racine Blue Line station, where passengers can transfer to Blue Line trains to reach downtown. Pink Line trains will not operate around the Loop elevated structure during the extension.
The Lake Street bridge project, which originally began Oct. 13 with a closure planned through Oct. 26, involves the replacement of the bridge’s west leaf. The structure carries vehicle traffic over the Chicago River and sits beneath the CTA’s elevated tracks, making the project a joint effort between CDOT and the transit agency.
The bridge work has required temporary service changes across multiple CTA rail lines. Earlier in the project, Brown, Green, Orange and Pink Line service through the Loop was affected. The weekend of Oct. 24-25 saw Loop Elevated service temporarily suspended for additional track work at the Wells and Lake junction, the CTA’s largest rail junction.
“CDOT appreciates the continued patience of Chicago commuters, residents and business owners as crews work to safely finalize this essential bridge infrastructure project,” the press release said.
Normal CTA rail operations across all lines are expected to resume by 4 a.m. Wednesday following final alignment checks, systems testing and test train runs by CDOT and CTA personnel, according to the release.
Riders can visit transitchicago.com for real-time service alerts and travel guidance. Updates on the bridge construction are available at chicago.gov/CDOT.
