Chicago's State/Lake L station is set to close in January for a $444 million rebuild, leaving commuters with little time to adjust. The 1895-built station will be closed for approximately three years while construction gets underway, with trains bypassing the station during that time.
The new station, designed in 2021, promises wider platforms, elevators for full ADA accessibility, and a massive glass canopy. However, the project's ballooning price tag has raised eyebrows, with costs now exceeding $180 million - more than double the original estimate of $75 million cited back in 2017.
The city has been working on the project for some time, with federal funding playing a significant role. A $56 million grant was announced in 2017, and the construction contract was finalized last January with builder F.H. Paschen. The project is now expected to be completed by sometime in 2029.
Commuters will face disruptions around State Street during demolition, which begins on December 8th. Lake Street will be closed to vehicle traffic intermittently during this time. Once the station closes, it will be limited to local traffic between Dearborn Street and Wabash Avenue.
The State/Lake station is one of the Loop's busiest stations, serving over 8,400 people each weekday. The closure will have a significant impact on commuters, with many expressing frustration at the short notice. "It kind of sucks," said commuter Mary Casperson. "The next station isn't the safest."
While some have called for greater transparency and planning, officials stress that the new station is designed to improve accessibility and provide better facilities for passengers.
For now, commuters are advised to check the project's website for updates and plan their routes accordingly.
The new station, designed in 2021, promises wider platforms, elevators for full ADA accessibility, and a massive glass canopy. However, the project's ballooning price tag has raised eyebrows, with costs now exceeding $180 million - more than double the original estimate of $75 million cited back in 2017.
The city has been working on the project for some time, with federal funding playing a significant role. A $56 million grant was announced in 2017, and the construction contract was finalized last January with builder F.H. Paschen. The project is now expected to be completed by sometime in 2029.
Commuters will face disruptions around State Street during demolition, which begins on December 8th. Lake Street will be closed to vehicle traffic intermittently during this time. Once the station closes, it will be limited to local traffic between Dearborn Street and Wabash Avenue.
The State/Lake station is one of the Loop's busiest stations, serving over 8,400 people each weekday. The closure will have a significant impact on commuters, with many expressing frustration at the short notice. "It kind of sucks," said commuter Mary Casperson. "The next station isn't the safest."
While some have called for greater transparency and planning, officials stress that the new station is designed to improve accessibility and provide better facilities for passengers.
For now, commuters are advised to check the project's website for updates and plan their routes accordingly.
I'm telling ya, this Chicago L station rebuild is a total case study in how not to handle infrastructure development. First of all, $444 million is just insane - that's like building 10-15 new stations, and what do we get? A fancy glass canopy 
and some elevators for ADA accessibility? Meanwhile, the original estimate was already ballooning out of control, and now it's more than double what people thought it would cost. What happened to the federal funding that was supposed to help keep costs in check? 
And let's not forget about the commuters who are going to be stuck dealing with this mess for three years straight... I'm no expert, but seems like some better planning and communication from the city could've prevented all these headaches.
... I mean, they're gonna have a tough time adjusting to the closure of this historic station. The extra year or so the construction takes is super inconvenient, especially since they already had to deal with some major price hikes 
- who knew a rebuild would blow up like that? And what's up with the constant disruptions around State Street during demolition? It's gonna be chaos on Lake Street too... I guess it's all worth it for the shiny new station, but still... 3 years is a long time to be stuck without your favorite transit spot 
.
the rebuild at State/Lake L station sounds like a nightmare for commuters 
with construction starting in Dec and closing for 3 years - what if someone needs to get somewhere urgent? 
i feel bad for Mary, she's right that the next stop isn't safe 
is $444m really necessary tho? 
maybe we'll get used to it after a while 
? At least they'll have a fancy glass canopy to hide behind while they wait for their train... meanwhile, commuters are left scrambling to find alternative routes. 3 whole years of "convenience" and not a single one of us gets a free upgrade to a decent commute 
. I mean, can't we plan things out better than this? 
. I hope they actually deliver on that glass canopy, because it sounds like something that could make up for some of the inconvenience 
.
. And with the new design being more expensive than expected, I'm not surprised 
. Can't they plan ahead and give us more notice? Or better yet, just keep the old station open for a bit longer 
. The fact that it's going to be closed to local traffic during demolition is just the cherry on top 
. Commuters are already stressed enough without having to deal with road closures too! 
. But $180 million overruns? C'mon! The city should've planned this better 
especially with all the events at millennium park nearby 
. but on the bright side, they're gonna get a brand new station with elevators and a glass canopy 
it's gonna be so lit! 
i do wish they'd given us more notice tho 
fanchicagoforever 