; Indiana Harbor Belt Grade Crossing of 71st Street - CREATE Program

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Grade Separations
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Indiana Harbor Belt Grade Crossing of 71st Street

LocationCreated with sketchtool.

Location

North Limit Columbia Dr.
South Limit 72nd St.
East Limit S Octavia Ave.
West Limit Sholer Ave.
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Daily Trains Affected

80 Freight trains

Communities Benefited:

  • Bridgeview

Benefits

The construction of a grade separation allows continuous access to the stadium and related development, as 71st Street between Roberts Road and Harlem Avenue is designated as one of two primary access routes feeding the stadium.
Given the location and geometry of the four tracks entering the nearby Bedford Park Yard, the speeds of the freight trains crossing 71st Street ranged from five to 10 mph. These slow speeds resulted in lengthy delays at 71st Street, often up to 10 minutes. During events at the stadium, nearly 1,600 vehicles use 71st Street for stadium ingress/egress.

Daily, 26,800 vehicles pass through the crossing. This project will reduce roadway congestion and improve safety at this location. The grade crossing separation will eliminate delay to over 3,700 vehicles daily, resulting in alleviation of almost 22,500 annual motorist hours of delay. It will also eliminate the potential for collisions between vehicles and trains.

Wheel in Motion 1 1
Wheel in Motion 1 1
rail inspection

Scope of Work

The project involved grade separation of four CSX and Indiana Harbor Belt rail tracks and 71st Street in the Village of Bridgeview. The location is immediately west of Toyota Park, a 20,000 seat multi-use stadium, and is used as a primary ingress/egress route to the stadium parking lots. The CSX and IHB tracks have access to the CSX intermodal facility and the Belt Railway of Chicago Clearing Yard located 1.5 miles northeast of the project.

Project Status

Phase I Completed
Phase II Completed
Phase III Completed
group of 5 men standing infront of shiping containers

Project Location Map

Project outlines and locations shown above are approximations and do not necessarily represent final design and construction limits.