Work begins on $25M project to make CTA Green Line Austin station ADA-compliant

CHICAGO (WGN) — An elevator, escalator, ramp and other improvements will be coming to a renovated Austin station on the Chicago Transit Authority’s Green Line as part of a $25 million reconstruction project and an agency commitment to make all rail stations fully accessible and compliant under with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Groundbreaking for the project was held Monday morning at the station, at 351 North Austin Boulevard, which is currently one of six targeted to be rehabbed in the next year. Much of the funding for the project is coming from the federal government.

“I want to keep making these projects a reality, and that’s not going to be possible without funding,” said disability rights advocate Michelle Lee. “Accessibility is really an investment in our communities, it’s an investment in our city, and it’s really and truly an investment to opening doors to jobs, to resources and to, really, life and all this city has to offer.”

Accessibility advocates say the changes will benefit many, including parents with strollers, people carrying luggage or those with temporary disabilities.

“Creating accessibility benefits everybody. It’s also a civil right that our community get equal access to our public transit systems,” said Karen Tamley, the president and CEO of the organization Access Living.

The work is being done through the CTA’s All Stations Accessibility Program, the plan of which was released in 2018 with a goal of making all rail stations fully accessible by 2038. Some stations with existing elevators may have them upgraded or replaced.

The CTA says 104 of its 146 rail stations are ADA accessible. Austin is among 14 stations currently funded and in various stages of planning, design or under construction, the agency said.

While the main entrance to the station will close in June for the start of major work, riders will continue to have access to the station using its auxiliary entrance.