The Red Line Extension is the most transformational project in the history of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). With equity as the foundation of the extension, and inclusivity and opportunity driving it forward, the project will extend CTA’s busiest rail line from its current terminus at 95th Street to the southern border of Chicago’s city limits at 130th Street to address a decades-long gap in transit connectivity to Chicago’s Far South Side.
The project will significantly reduce commute times and provide long-awaited and much-needed connections to jobs, education, health care, and commerce for the residents of Chicago’s Far South Side, while also serving as a catalyst for economic development in long-underinvested communities.
The project will include different procurement methods – including Small Business Enterprise (SBE) set-asides – to ensure the participation of small businesses on the project. One example is CTA’s plan to divide the demolition packages into two separate opportunities -- one for the general marketplace and the other for only certified-SBE firms.
This visionary, multi-billion-dollar project will extend the Red Line by 5.6 miles and include the construction of four new, fully accessible stations at 103rd Street, 111th Street, Michigan Avenue and 130th Street, plus a modern, efficient railcar storage yard and maintenance facility. Multimodal connections at each station would include bus, bike, pedestrian, and park & ride facilities. These new transit centers could serve as catalysts for neighborhood revitalization. Increased transit access would further support the local economy by attracting customers and visitors from outside the project area to local businesses and cultural centers, bolstering community investment.
The extension is a community-input driven project. Members of the surrounding communities have been and will remain vital in helping shape this project. So will SBE and MBE contractors and partners who will make this project a reality.
Learn more about CTA’s procurement timeline here. Learn more about the extension project overall here.