The Chicago Transit Authority will suspend Purple Line Express service to the Loop for two periods in March and April due to reconstruction of the Wells Street Bridge over the Chicago River, according to a news release Monday.
CTA will suspend service of the Purple Line Express, which services downtown Chicago, March 4 to 8 and April 29 to May 3. Regular Purple Line trains running from Howard to Linden stations will not be affected. Chicago-bound riders going to Chicago can transfer to Red Line trains at Howard station.
The change in service results from the Chicago Department of Transportation’s reconstruction of the Wells Street Bridge, according to the release. CDOT will close the 90-year-old bridge to rebuild portions of the structure during each nine-day segment.
At the same time, the CTA will replace tracks on and near the bridge. Other projects scheduled to be completed include rebuilding the track junction at Lake and Wells Streets and replacing tracks in the curve just north of the Merchandise Mart.
Coordinated construction will minimize the impact on riders and save overall construction costs, CTA spokeswoman Catherine Hosinski said. The two agencies expect to save $500,000 by doing the work during the same time periods, according to the news release.
“CTA is piggybacking on the work (of CDOT) to avoid future construction costs,” she said.
CTA will offer additional bus service, shuttle buses and rerouted trains to replace interrupted train service on the Brown Line, according to the release.
— Jia You
