Our Projects

Grade Separations

GS14

Indiana Harbor Belt Grade Crossing of 71st Street

Topline Community Benefits

Safer roadway conditions and upgraded infrastructure.

More reliable freight rail service through speed improvements.

Improved user experience of the local area. The location and geometry of the four tracks entering the nearby Bedford Park Yard slowed freight speed significantly, resulting 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.

 

Project Funding Needs

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Fully funded and complete

Project Location Map

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Municipality

Bridgeview

Project Area

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

Project Overview & Impact

A completed grade separation of the rail line at 71st Street from four CSX and Indiana Harbor Belt (IHB) rail tracks has reduced roadway congestion and improve safety at a key entertainment location, Toyota Park, a 20,000 seat multi-use stadium. The grade crossing separation now 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.

Daily, 26,800 vehicles pass through the crossing. The project 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.

GS14 71st After

Project Benefits

The Indiana Harbor Belt Grade Crossing of 71st Street delivers substantial time saving, safety improvements, and mobility gains for the local community and freight rail operators..  The grade crosing separation enables greater accessibility and safety in the area. Prior to the project, 24 highway crashes occurred within the study area, the majority attributed to malfunctioning railroad infrastructure. The grade separation eliminated the potential for future rail-auto crashes and those attributed to lengthy queues at the crossing.

Nearby Chicago, IL Community Areas: Bridgeview

Increased freight output from over 80 freight trains and thousands of trucks. Both freight modes benefit from increased speed and safety enhancements.

High reductions in idling locomotives and vehicles at this crossing. The grade separation eliminated a daily total vehicle delay estimated at 31 hours.

Freight rail benefits support the entire rail network.

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Project Status

Phase I Completed
Phase II Completed
Phase III Completed

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

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