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Grade Separations

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Central Avenue and Belt Railway of Chicago Grade Separation

Topline Community Benefits

Reduced roadway congestion and improved safety by eliminating delay to nearly 2,500 vehicles per day.

Mitigation of collision potential between vehicles and trains.

Improved emergency services for nearby-rail communities.

Project Funding Needs

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Seeking design funding (Phase II)

Project Location Map

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Municipality

Chicago

Project Area

North Limit Archer Ave S
South Limit W 54th St.
East Limit S. Luna Ave.
West Limit S Parkside Ave.

Project Overview & Impact

Daily, 20,800 vehicles pass through the crossing. Midway Airport borders the southeast corner of 55th Street and Central Avenue. This project will reduce roadway congestion and improve safety at this location. The grade crosing separation will eliminate delay to over 600 vehicles daily, resulting in alleviation of 6,700 annual motorist hours of delay. It will also eliminate the potential for collisions between vehicles and trains.

This location is designated a “911 Critical Crossing.” This is a critical location for emergency services to access communities that have high frequency of train movements or delays. The grade separation will eliminate this issue.

The project will consider eliminating the at-grade crossing of Central Avenue and two Belt Railway of Chicago (BRC) tracks located 330 feet south of Archer Avenue and 800 feet north of 55th Street. This will be accomplished by creating either an overpass or underpass for vehicles using Central Avenue at this location. See the project website for additional information at: centralbrc.org/

Project Benefits

The Central Avenue and Belt Railway of Chicago Grade Separation will improve safety and public health outcomes for residents, focusing on community access and mobility.

Chicago, IL Community Areas: Garfield Ridge and Clearing

The project will boost travel times and efficiencies for multiple roadway users, including Midway Airport users. As well, potentially reduced collisions will provide longer term cost savings on infrastructure repairs.

The grade separation will reduce automobile and truck delay at this location, improving local air quality and reducing fuel consumption.

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Project Status

Phase I Underway
Phase II Upcoming
Phase III Upcoming

Project Status Definitions:
– Phase I: Environmental & Preliminary Engineering
– Phase II: Final Design (Plans, Specifications & Estimates)
– Phase III: Construction

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