Chicago Central Area Transit Plan - Core Plan

Core Plan

The CUTD remained dormant from 1971 to 1973, and the CCATP was put on hold pending finalization of legality tests and approval of its application for a Technical Studies Grant. Much of the District's resources had been transferred to other programs, including exhaustive and time consuming validation and alternative analysis reports for the project. In June 1973, the CUTD commenced the first phase of the project which included design criteria, specifications and general plans for the Distributor Subway, which was completed in 1974. Federal, state and local funds totaling $8.7 million were used for that eighteen-month effort. Similar predesign work was begun on the Franklin Line portion of the Loop Subway system, which in turn was completed in 1975.

During this time, the CUTD and the City recommended the realignment of the Evanston-Ravenswood portion of the Loop Subway system proposed in 1968 for Orleans Street to an alignment under Kingsbury Street and Larrabee Street from the Chicago River to Clybourn Avenue. This alignment was adopted in 1974.

Also, the western terminal for the Monroe Street Distributor was rerouted in Desplaines Street from Monroe Street to the Eisenhower Expressway, and then through the existing north portals (which were built in the 1950s) near Halsted Street from whence the Blue Line emerges. Today, those portals remain unused.

Following a public hearing in 1974, the CUTD submitted an Environmental Impact Analysis to the Federal government, and a revised application for a facilities grant for the Chicago Central Area Transit Project. The facilities grant application proposed a ten-year project that would cost $1.642 billion based on an annual escalation of 8% compounded to the mid-year of construction of each segment of the project. The application supported a system alignment made up of the five transit lines; that was used as the basis for the CUTD's presentation at the public hearing. The transit lines selected — generally those recommended in the 1968 Transit Planning Study — were Franklin, Randolph, Wabash-Van Buren, Monroe, Lakefront North and Lakefront South.

Each of the transit lines were examined to determine which segments would provide the earliest return on investment in terms of service to greatest need, and permit early integration into the existing CTA system. The intention was to develop a sequential construction plan that would minimize disruption to urban transportation and stay within available funding.

In the summer of 1974, the CUTD selected a Core Plan, the initial portion of the Chicago Central Area Transit Project to be built. It consisted essentially of the Monroe Line, the Franklin Line, and a portion of the Randolph Line. The Core Plan, which would take about six years to complete and cost $1 billion based on an August 1973 cost estimate, was submitted to the Federal government on August 21, 1974. The Core Plan was received well, however, it was recommended that the project be reduced to $700 million. Modifications to the original Core Plan were made and the revised Plan was presented to UMTA in September 1974.

Subsequently, it was determined locally that certain options originally eliminated due to funding restraints placed on the project be reinstated. UMTA withdrew the cost ceiling, the adjustments were made after extensive interagency studies and conferences and the revised Core Plan was submitted to UMTA in August 1975. It was estimated to cost $1.43 billion and would take six years to design and build.

None of the above actions have changed the Balance of the Project, which consisted of: the portion of the Monroe Line to the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Lakefront Line (North and South), and the remaining portion of the Randolph, Wabash and Van Buren Lines. No work was ever started on those elements because they were determined to be subject to more changeable circumstances and potential modification and, therefore, responsive to further study of demand and benefit as part of the continuing planning process.

Concurrent with development of the Core Plan, the CUTD had completed the predesign work needed for the Monroe Line in 1974 and performed similar work on the Franklin Line, which was completed in January 1976. Since September 1974, the CUTD was ready to begin final design and construction on the Distributor Subway (Monroe Line), but implementation was further delayed.

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