Phase 1 is part of a $1.7b Red+Purple Modernization Program. The Red-Purple Bypass is also part of this project.
Phase 1 will replace the existing track and stations between the Lawrence and Bryn Mawr stations. See About for an overview. During construction, Argyle and Bryn Mawr will have temporary stations and Lawrence and Berwyn will be closed.
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| Aerial Map via Phase 1 |
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| 4:19 video @ 1:27 Red & Purple Modernization (RPM) - Phase One Overview |
The four stations are being rebuilt from the ground up to provide full ADA accessibility and wider platforms. The new track is higher than the old one and the overpasses are clear spans so going under the tracks won't feel like going through a crypt.
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| Track Brochure |
The artist found a different building to depict on the west side of the station.
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| Street View, Nov 2021 |
This photo was in a Bryn Mawr collection of photos.
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| Chris, Apr 2022 |
I found this "before" photo of Bryn Mawr in the Berwyn set of photos. Judging from the dates, the photo above by Chris was not of the Bryn Mawr station.
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| Nathaniel Daker, Jun 2022 |
Another "before" view of Bryn Mawr.
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| Street View, Nov 2021 |
About one minute after I did the above views of Bryn Mawr, I found that the CTA has "then and now" views of Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr. But I think my views still add some value.
The construction of the track will use an overhead gantry crane to minimize the construction footprint.
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| Equipment, p3 |
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| Equipment, p3 |
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| systraibt, Photo credit: Chicago Transit Authority, Renderings by: SYSTRA VIZ-IBT |
The info on the shafts is of interest.
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| Equipment, p1 |
I noticed in some of their construction photos that they used crawler cranes with hydraulic booms instead of lattice booms. Normally, hydraulic boom cranes have (many) rubber tires instead of tracks.
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| Equipment, p1 |
Note that the clearance from buildings will be reduced from 15' to 2' 7". I sure hope those short sound-abatement walls do the job.
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| Track Structure A second drawing shows how they will build the east side and then the west side. |
Sep 21, 2021:
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| The Walsh Grrop posted This week, Walsh Construction and Fluor Corporation will begin to install this 285-foot custom-built gantry crane on the northside of Chicago. The gantry will install 1,555 precast segments to reconstruct Red and Purple Line tracks in Chicago's Uptown and Edgewater neighborhoods, part of CTA RPM. https://blockclubchicago.org/.../massive-overhead-crane.../ |
Oct 6, 2021: A drilling rig fell of the elevated structure. Fortunately, the boom hit an alley instead of a building.
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| Dennis DeBruler |
Nov 15, 2021:
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| The Walsh Grrop posted The first precast segment arrives on site and will become the first piece of the new track structure for the Lawrence to Bryn Mawr track/station reconstruction, part of CTA RPM! |
Dec 7, 2021: 0:16 time-lapse video of the first span being installed (source)
The gantry system is working hard placing new track segments in the Lawrence to Bryn Mawr Modernization project in Edgewater! Check out this timelapse of the first span getting into place, and the gantry system moving onto the next column to begin working on the next segments. Each segment weighs differently, and the heaviest is 93,000 pounds!
Jan 31, 2022:
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| The Walsh Group posted The launching gantry at the Red-Purple Modernization is 285-feet-long, nearly the length of a 747. |
Mar 24, 2022:
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| CTA RPM posted We can’t cap our excitement, but we're capping our columns! This crane is lifting a rebar cage to provide extra support to the concrete at the top of the columns being built as part of the Lawrence to Bryn Mawr Modernization project. The rebar cage is 9,500 pounds! |
Mar 29, 2022: CTA RPM posted two photos with the comment: "Here’s our one-of-a-kind gantry putting together the ~90,000-pound concrete segments for the new track structure in Edgewater as part of the Lawrence to Bryn Mawr modernization project. These segments are huge; you could fit a car through the gap! 👀 our work inside one of the segments for scale."
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Apr 19, 2022: CTA RPM posted two photos with the comment: "Now you see me, now you don't! 🎩🐇 These 80-ft rebar cages are placed into the ground to add additional support to the concrete we're pouring for the new track structure in the Lawrence to Bryn Mawr Modernization project."
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Apr 28, 2022:
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| CTA RPM posted 📣 We're proud to announce the CTA RPM gantry system has a new name: Windy City Gantry! 🌆 HUGE shoutout to Goudy School second-grade class 202 for making the gantry's name special to the city of Chicago. The winning class said, “We think people all over Chicago will understand the name when it’s put on the Gantry. AND this is the best name we ever heard of!” Thanks to every class who participated and made this decision very hard for us! The winning name will be displayed on the gantry for the duration of the bridge segment installation work, which is expected to be completed in 2025. |
May 16, 2022: CTA RPM posted eight photos with the comment:
A year to remember! One year ago today, Stage A of the Lawrence to Bryn Mawr Modernization project began with the temporary closures of Argyle, Lawrence, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr stations, making room for the new, fully accessible stations opening in 2025. Curious about what else we’ve accomplished in 365 days? So far we’ve completed:•Demolition of Argyle, Lawrence, Berwyn and Bryn Mawrstations and adjacent northbound track structures•New, temporary stations at Argyle and Bryn Mawr to continue Red Line service during construction•50 percent of all support foundations for new structure•26 out of 80 track structure columns•12 spans of new bridge segment pieces with the 'Windy City Gantry,' about 1/8 of total done•‘Windy City Gantry’ work at Bryn Mawr, now heading south to Catalpa AveWe’re looking forward to the next year with you!
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Jun 3, 2022:
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| CTA RPM posted 🦅 Bird's eye view from atop the Windy City Gantry in Edgewater! [It is too bad the new route still has kinks in it.] |
Jun 10, 2022:
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| CTA RPM posted Happy Friday from the Windy City Gantry! [Obviously, the track is a standalone structure. And they have removed alot of the embankment. So why not remove all of it?] |
Jun 13, 2022:
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| CTA RPM posted Some newly installed North Belmont Reconstruction support columns to start your week! |
Jun 15, 2022:
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| CTA RPM posted 🏦 Banking on the embankment! Repairing the century-old retaining walls from Lawrence to Bryn Mawr is part of our plan to modernize and rebuild your Red Line. 🛠️ [There are alot of comments about why isn't the embankment being removed. After all, the new track is a self-supporting aerial structure. Removing the embankment would open up parking space and open up the neighborhoods. And removing the embankments would save the expense of repairing the retaining walls.] |
Jun 27, 2022:
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| CTA RPM posted 💪 One of our 90,000-pound track segments being lifted into place! How's that for a Monday workout? |
Jul 6, 2022: (I don't know where Lakeview East is so I'm tossing this video into these notes.)
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| 1:43 video @ 0:34 📹 Check out this time-lapse of a beam being lifted onto the new Red and Purple Line track columns in Lakeview East! 💪 [This is where I first saw the use of an hadraulic boom crawler.] |
Jul 13, 2022: Note the Windy City Gantry is in the background.
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| CTA RPM posted A little something to keep in our back pockets! 👖 We are now building a new pocket track near the Argyle station for future use on the Red Line. Following the completion of the Lawrence to Bryn Mawr Modernization project, this pocket track will be used to store extra trains for quick, easy deployment on the Red Line during rush hours or special events like concerts and Cubs games. In the meantime, this new track will be used for north- and south-bound trains to stop at the new Argyle temporary station being built for when we switch over to rebuilding the westernmost tracks next year following completion of the easternmost tracks happening now. Marty Brown: How many extra trains will the pocket track be able to store at one time?? CTA RPM: The pocket track can fit a 10-car train! |
Aug 17, 2022:
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| CTA RPM posted A Red Line train passing by the new track structure! The new, concrete track is higher than the old one, allowing for greater ground clearance and a more open feel under the tracks at crossing streets. |
Aug 31, 2022: CTA RPM posted four photos with the comment: "We finished the 81st drilled shaft in the Lawrence to Bryn Mawr Modernization project this weekend, marking the completion of this work for Stage A! These holes, filled with concrete, form the underground foundation for the new track structure."
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Sep 14, 2022:
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| CTA RPM posted Peek-a-boo! 👀 Check out our workers inside one of the bridge segments constructing the new track structure in the Lawrence to Bryn Mawr Modernization project. |
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| Walsh posted The custom-built, 285-foot-long gantry builds the new structure and track for the Lawrence-to-Bryn Mawr portion of CTA RPM. |
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| 0:27 video @ 0:24 The Windy City Gantry is decked out for the holidays! |
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| safe_image for Holiday lights build seasonal spirit across jobsites A Walsh-Fluor JV’s custom-made launching gantry is decked for the holidays as it installs precast concrete segments for a new track structure for the Chicago Transit Authority. Permission granted by Scott LaSalle, Walsh-Fluor Design-Build Team |
Mar 2024: Is this still Phase I, or are they into another phase?
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| Thomas Huntley posted Construction in progress on the southbound Red Line(Howard/Dan Ryan) L tracks. Pic taken facing southbound from the temporary Bryn Mawr station. Redline being rebuilt between Wlison and Thorndale with brand new tracks and ADA compliant station houses at Lawrence, Arglye, Berwyn, and Bryn Mawr. The northbound tracks are complete. Lawrence and Berwyn stations currently demolished with temporary stations at Bryn Mawr and Argyle. Paul Webb shared |
CTA RPM posted four photos with the comment:
🏗️ The Windy City Gantry is back in action! The first new concrete segments are up in the air. Curious about how the process works? Check it out! ⬇️1. Individual concrete precast segments arrive to the construction site via truck bed. The segments are raised into position by the Windy City Gantry until the typical 12 segments are all held in suspension.2. The segments are joined together using epoxy, a super strong glue-like material. Epoxy is applied between the segment faces, and pulled together tightly until the epoxy is stronger than concrete.3. Super strong steel cables, called strands, are then pulled through both ends of the glued concrete segments. Steel cables are grouped into arrangements called tendons. Each tendon is pulled through the segments using huge forces. For each typical 12 segments, there are eight tendons holding them together.4. Once our engineers review and approve the detail of the work, the assembled segments become a span, like a beam. The span is then lowered to rest upon the columns below.5. After installation, the Windy City Gantry is then moved to the next span to repeat this process! We start at W Ardmore and conclude between W Lawrence and W Leland, where the old tracks meet the new tracks.The Windy City Gantry will be working on building the new tracks through 2024.
Brian O'Halloran: Very interesting, I’m always intrigued when I pass by. Does the beam flex or tendons need to be tightened over time?
CTA RPM: Brian O'Halloran Hi! The tendons are tensioned only during the initial installation. The design accounts for a phenomenon where steel cables inside the tendons under high permanent tension experience "relaxation" or stretching. The accounting entails higher tensioning forces during initial installation.
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The new over Lawrence:
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| Street View, Nov 2021 |
The old over Leland:
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| Street View, Jul 2018 |
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