Chicago Blue Line Station to Get Elevator

A multi-million-dollar project will bring an elevator and other upgrades to the Avondale neighborhood of Chicago’s Belmont Blue Line station, which locals say has suffered from a lack of accessibility, Block Club Chicago reports. The Belmont station is among three Blue Line stations set to receive accessibility improvements thanks to federal funding. Chicago was awarded US$185 million to make Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Metra stations accessible; of that, US$118.5 million will go toward modernizing the Belmont, Irving Park and Pulaski Blue Line stations, according to the CTA. Besides elevators, those stations are getting ramps, signs and other features to meet accessibility requirements. Work on the Belmont Blue Line station is expected to begin in 2025, officials say. The three stations are among 42 CTA train stations that are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Belmont station was revamped a few years ago, but CTA said it didn’t have enough funds at the time to install an elevator, which would have cost more than US$70 million due to the configuration of the station. Avondale Neighborhood Association officials say the station’s escalator doesn’t always work, which leaves only the stairs. The CTA is trying to get funding to meet its goal of making all train stations accessible by 2038.