CTA Releases Final Design Concepts for Spaces Under Renovated L Tracks

After a series of public meetings, the Chicago Transit Authority recently revealed final design proposals for new developments beneath the stretch of the reconstructed L from Lawrence station to Bryn Mawr, just three stops south of the Loyola station.

Numerous amenities are included in the plans, including a pedestrian trail through the length of the corridor, dog parks, playgrounds, fitness areas, green spaces, benches, parking lots and multiple-use community plazas, according to the presentation from the February release meetings.

The lines are undergoing construction as a part of the Red Purple Modernization project, which demolished a 1.3 mile-long embankment wall during its Phase One project, The Phoenix previously reported.

The Phase One process began in 2019 but ramped up in 2023 when CTA realized the 100-year-old embankment was deteriorating and no longer salvageable, according to CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase.

The RPM modernization leadership team debated the best use of the space, briefly considering paving over it or turning it into parking. After determining the densely populated Edgewater and Uptown neighborhoods suffer from little community space, the team proposed a remedy to the CTA board and president’s office, according to Chase.

“This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for CTA to create community space, and just judging how we’ve been in the community for all these years with construction, we proposed it to the public in the spring of 2023,” Chase said. “The reaction was swift, and it was very positive.”

At the two public reveal meetings Feb. 25-26, CTA officials displayed final concept renderings for new public spaces to go beneath the Lawrence to Bryn Mawr stretch of the newly rebuilt tracks. 

Chase said the meetings followed an open house style, where community members could observe the renderings and freely give input based on what they thought was best for the community.

“If you live between Balmoral and Catalpa, you probably know what’s going on on that block,” Chase said. 

The discussion around what could replace the embankment wall began with two public meetings in January 2024 after CTA had nearly finished demolishing it. There, CTA and Site Design, the Chicago-based landscape architecture firm chosen to partner with CTA to guide the development, first solicited public input, according to a CTA press release.

CTA received positive feedback during the meetings. Some residents brought hyper-specific suggestions — such as pickleball courts — for what design plans could include, but the majority expressed preference for more general open space which could be used in many ways.

“If you look at the drawings, you’ll say, ‘Oh, there’s nothing there,’ which is not true,” Chase said. “It’s actually just kind of empty space that can be used for lots of different things.”

This was followed by another series of meetings May 22-23 where CTA and Site Design released their early plans based on their initial feedback from the January meetings. Using feedback from both of these sets of meetings, CTA and Site Design created the final block-by-block renderings.

The May renderings included the input from the January meetings in an aerial layout of conceptual drawings, according to Chase.

A shared pedestrian-vehicle alley and subsurface stormwater retention areas straddle much of the project, with numerous light poles dotting the alternating crushed stone and asphalt surfacing to compensate for the lessened natural light, according to the block-by-block exhibit boards from the reveal meetings.

RPM Phase One is set to finish this year with the completion of construction on the southbound Red Line track and the Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr stations, with these renovated stations set to open this summer, The Phoenix previously reported.

Chase said CTA is now moving into the next major phase of the project. A joint venture between Walsh Construction and the Fluor Corporation, the two companies will take the final design concepts and develop construction plans, according to Chase.

Chase said the CTA anticipates the construction will begin early 2026 and open to the public in early 2027. A team of engineers and construction managers will monitor and guide the project, ensuring the public gets what they asked for.

Construction will not disrupt train service, according to Chase, but temporary sidewalk and alley closures could occur, which the public would be notified of beforehand.

48th Ward Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth attended both the Feb. 25-26 reveal presentations and said she was especially excited about the play spaces for children and the dog parks. Manaa-Hoppenworth said she bikes to work from Andersonville and if she rides underneath the L where the developments are planned, the ride is already smooth and quiet.

In the Feb. 28 edition of her weekly ward newsletter, Manaa-Hoppenworth wrote about the collaborative effort between CTA and local residents to develop the plans over the past year.

“Thanks to everyone who came out to this week’s meetings where CTA unveiled final development concepts for the space under the new ‘L’ tracks between the Lawrence and Bryn Mawr stations!” the newsletter read. “This project represents a once-in-a-lifetime investment in the kind of safe, accessible, and beautiful spaces our community deserves.”