After an initial proposal a year ago, prompting immediate and strong criticism, the Chicago Transit Authority has completed its environmental assessment of a proposal designed to improve service capacity at the infamous bottleneck of Clark Junction.
"The Chicago Transit Authority today issued a ringing defense of its $570 million plan to boost el capacity on crowded North Side tracks by building a huge bridge where Red, Purple and Brown line tracks now converge at Clark Street," reports Greg Hinz.
After exploring and rejecting several other alternatives, "the CTA said the plan to have northbound Brown Line tracks swing above other tracks is the best feasible alternative and will allow it to carry an additional 7,200 riders an hour through a junction that now is at capacity."
Though the environmental assessment made clear its preference for the flyover, the plan is still unfunded and expected to provoke strong opposition. The proposal requires removing 16 buildings and "plopping what amounts to a highway-like towering structure right in the middle of a residential neighborhood," according to Hinz.
The CTA Red-Purple Bypass project, as it's called, was first announced in April 2014. Architecture critic Blair Kamin produced a pointed critique of the proposal shortly after.
Read the full story: CTA issues strong defense of Red Line flyover plan
High Profile Opposition to Chicago Transit Authority's Flyover Project
A Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic invokes the most influential planning battles in the country's history in critiquing the proposed Red-Purple Bypass Project sought by the Chicago Transit Authority and Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Chicago Planning Flyover Fix for North Side El Lines
Fairly sizable funding contingencies still have to be resolved, but the so-called Red-Purple Bypass Project could increase rush hour capacity at a critical North Side junction by 30 percent.
Work Ready to Begin on $2.1 Billion Red and Purple Line Modernization in Chicago
The Chicago Transit Authority's largest-ever construction project, also one of its most controversial projects, will begin construction soon.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Philadelphia to invest $2 billion into upgrading city airports as PHL places last in customer satisfaction
Modernizations to Philadelphia's airports will include baggage system upgrades and a new automated parking garage guidance system.
The LA housing policies making developers turn away from the city
Despite LA’s housing shortage, developers say the city’s "mansion-tax" and pandemic-era policies make it an unappealing place to build housing.
New density bill would require 7 California cities to establish regional transit hubs
The bill would also require major cities in California to permit high-rise residential buildings.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello