The CTA’s Green Line has had significant gaps in its Near West Side service, but a new project could help change that. This spring, the CTA broke ground on a $60 million project that will bring an elevated station at Damen to the Green Line, according to Curbed Chicago. 

The new Green Line station will help fill the 1.5-mile gap between the Ashland and California stops, according to Streets Blog Chicago. While the groundbreaking already took place, work on the station’s foundations will likely begin later this year. The new Damen Green Line station is slated to be operational by 2020, according to the report.

This project marks the fourth new CTA station opened under the Emanuel administration, according to the Streets Blog Chicago report. In 2012, the CTA opened a new Green Line station at Morgan. In 2015, the Green Line’s Cermak-McCormick Place station opened. In 2017, the Washington-Wabash station opened in the Loop.

Photo courtesy of David Wilson

In addition to the new Damen stop, $12.9 million is being invested in updating Lake Street, according to a news release from the City of Chicago. This project, expected to reach completion by the end of this year, will involve reconstructing half a mile of the street, improving drainage, replacing sidewalks, making ADA curb ramp upgrades, updating lighting, adding more than 40 new trees to the parkways, and upgrading traffic signals at the Damen, Wood, and Paulina intersections.

The improved transit access and Lake Street project could have a big effect on development in the Near West Side. “Today marks a milestone in the development of the Near West Side as we begin major improvements to Lake Street that will spur even greater economic activity and improve the quality of life for everyone who lives and works in the area,” Mayor Emanuel said in the news release.

Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th Ward), present at the groundbreaking, is also hopeful about the changes this project could bring to the area. “Giving residents more transportation options can open up more employment opportunities, make it easier for them to get to schools and improve their overall quality of life. I am pleased that the city is moving forward on closing the gap in public transportation that will assist our residents and allow for future growth in our community,” he said in the news release.

While the new CTA stop and Lake Street upgrades will undoubtedly bring about positive change, it could also mean an increase in housing costs, a concern broached by the Streets Blog Chicago article. The article points to the Morgan station, which played a big role in the development boom and increasing housing costs in the West Loop.

As work on the project gets underway, people can expect street closures to affect traffic in the area.