Accessibility Renovations Underway at CTA Station

Renovations are underway at the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Austin Green Line Station to make the station fully accessible, the Austin Weekly News reports. These renovations include a new elevator, an escalator and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramp, plus reconstructed stairs and an extended platform. The Austin Green Line station opened in 1899, was rebuilt in 1962, and hasn’t been updated since.  The Austin station renovations are a part of the CTA’s All Stations Accessibility Program, launched in 2018 to make all CTA stations fully accessible by 2038. Austin is one of 14 stations currently being renovated, growing the 70% of 146 CTA stops that are ADA-accessible.  According to officials, “The start of this project work is the first major milestone in the year ahead for CTA’s All Stations Accessibility Program, which will include the opening of six newly accessible rail stations across the City.” The CTA already has funding for the 14 stations in the first phase of the All Stations Accessibility Program, plus half the financing for its second phase. Second phase stations will include the Cicero, Pulaski and Austin Blue Line stops on Chicago’s West Side, plus the Oak Park and Ridgeland Green Line stations in the western suburbs.