[IL-Talk] FYI Article Re: CDOT Station Plans - State & Lake Station

[Marilyn Green]

Streetsblog Chicago
CDOT: Direct State/Lake – Red transfer was impossible, but wheelchair
access will improve
By John Greenfield Jul 8, 2021
https://chi.streetsblog.org/2021/07/08/cdot-direct-state-lake-red-transfer-was-impossible-but-wheelchair-access-will-improve/
story, comments

A new elevator just south of Lake Street will make it easier to
transfer between the Loop 'L' lines and the Red Line subway.

When Streetsblog Chicago reported on plans for the sleek,
wheelchair-accessible new State/Lake ‘L’ station, with a $180 million
price tag, there was immediate pushback from readers in the comments
and on Twitter.

“Such a missed opportunity that there’s no direct Red Line transfer
within the paid zone,” commented one person. “It makes transferring
much easier, especially for tourists and occasional riders. And it
exists at Clark/Lake for the Blue Line so it’s confusing why CTA won’t
attempt it here.” Here’s another response.

Our coverage was based on a news release from the city, which noted
that, “The project will also add four elevators located at each corner
of State and Lake — there are currently none — to make the station
fully accessible… The new station will also improve connectivity
between the elevated lines of the downtown Loop and the underground
Red Line on State Street.”

But after the outcry from readers, I promised to check in with the
Chicago Department of Transportation, which is leading the
construction project, to find out why an in-system transfer didn’t
appear to be in the works. My assumption was that wheelchair users
would still need to exit the station and roll a block and a half south
at street level to the existing elevator in front of the Block 37 mall
in order to make the transfer to the Red Line.

The existing elevator to the Red Line subway in front of the Block 37
shopping mall, at the southwest corner of Randolph and State. Photo:
Google Maps

CDOT spokesperson Mike Claffey confirmed that the new station will not
include a direct, in-system transfer between the Loop Elevated lines
and the Red Line. “It was physically not possible,” he said. “The
alignment of the subway mezzanine [located one level below the the
street] and Red Line underground platform and tracks [located one
level below the mezzanine] in relation to the elevated tracks were the
determining factors that made a direct elevator and stair connection
untenable. The underground mezzanine is too far to the south of the
elevated tracks to make a direct elevator connection.”

Location of the new elevator. This image is from a presentation that
was not previously made available to the media.

The good news is that the project includes two new elevators that will
make the wheelchair transfer more convenient than it otherwise would
be. Instead of rolling all the way to Block 37 to use the existing
street-level elevator, wheelchair users, and others with mobility
challenges, will get a new elevator less than half a block, about 160
feet, south of Lake Street on the west side of State. This means they
won’t have to cross Randolph.

The route from the elevator between the street and station mezzanine,
to the elevator between the mezzanine and the platform.

After exiting that elevator into the Red Line station’s mezzanine,
wheelchair users will swipe their fare card at the turnstiles. Then
they’ll head south down a corridor to a second new elevator that will
take them from the mezzanine to the platform.

That’s not a perfect system for making the transfer, since it still
requires some travel between three different elevators. But given the
physical limitations of the site, it appears to be a reasonable
solution.




-- 
Marilyn Green, President
National Federation of the Blind of Illinois
312-343-8396
www.nfbofillinois.org




---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Access <access at transitchicago.com>
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2021 16:52:10 +0000
Subject: FYI Article Re: CDOT Station Plans - State & Lake Station
To:

Good Morning, Everyone:

In case you haven't seen this, attached is an article which provides
information about the State & Lake Station rebuild from the Chicago
Department of Transportation (CDOT).

Have a nice day.

Thank you.

DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS E-MAIL.
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