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CTA determines path for proposed Red Line south extension to 130th Street

The CTA has decided on a path for its proposed extension of the Red Line’s south branch, bringing the long-discussed project one step closer to getting done.

The proposed route, which will be announced Friday, starts at 95th Street and would run along the west side of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks from I-57 south to about 109th Street. There it would cross the UP tracks and continue along the east side of the tracks until crossing Metra Electric tracks near 119th Street, and then continue south to 130th Street, the CTA said.

The 5.3-mile extension would include four new stations near 103rd Street, 111th Street, Michigan Avenue near 115^th Street, and 130th Street with parking and bus connections.

The $2.3 billion project, if it gets funding, would fill in what activists have called a “transit desert” on the city’s Far South Side as well as south suburban Riverdale. The city has not created an extension of an “L” line since the Orange Line opened in 1993.

The alignment was based on community feedback on both options the agency received in late 2016, CTA officials said. The chosen path limits the number of properties the agency may need to acquire to up to 154 privately owned parcels, with 79 buildings and the rest vacant lots, CTA officials said.

The CTA will hold an open house on Feb. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy gymnasium to present the alignment to residents. The agency then must publish a final environmental impact study to include further analysis of the path and some preliminary engineering work.

CTA officials noted that the timing of the project is dependent on funding — the earliest construction would begin is 2022, and the project would take about four years.

The CTA would have to pursue federal and local funds for the project, which are tight, particularly since the Trump administration’s stated budget priorities do not favor transit. A state law gave the city the authority to establish tax increment financing districts to fund four transit projects, including the Red Line extension, but no decision has been made to pursue TIF for the project, CTA officials said.

Tribune interviews with residents and business owners around the Union Pacific tracks south of 95th Street found wide support for the project, even if it results in displacement and noisy construction, because the communities need transit. The CTA said the line would save 20 minutes on a trip from 130th Street to the Loop.

mwisniewski@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @marywizchicago

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