Carmella White of Andersonville
By Jacob Berent
CTA commuters on Chicago’s South Side have been dreading May 19 for months.
The Red Line South Branch will close all stations south of the Roosevelt stop for at least five months in order to perform necessary repairs on the aging railway. This leaves everyday Red Line passengers to find other means to get around the city.
Carmella White of Andersonville says she takes the Red Line daily all over the South Side to look for employment, visit friends, and go to church. White has reviewed the commuter options the CTA is offering, but is unsure if they will be enough to ease the burden.
“They’re going to have shuttle busses, but I don’t know how that will work out,” said White. “There’s going to be a long time for commutes, people will have to start out earlier.”
White makes daily trips from her home near the Montrose stop to the areas that will be affected by the construction.
The CTA will offer free shuttle buses to and from all closed Red Line Stops during the construction, still using the stations as hubs. But more cars on the road means more traffic in an already arduous commute along the Dan Ryan Expressway and nearby main streets.
“Whole lot of problems,” envisions Englewood resident Catherine Shields. “The busy streets. 63rd, 55th, Halsted, State. It’s busy now, I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like once they shut it down.
The repairs will eliminate slow sections of track on the route from 22nd/Cermak to 95th.
The Red Line will reroute its trains above ground following the Roosevelt station, and follow along the elevated Green Line tracks. This will serve neighborhoods that lie north of 63rd Street.
Bronzeville resident Delonta Rivers is worried about the position the construction will put the community in. “I feel for the people that need the CTA to make their living. The people that use the Red Line to earn a living, feed their families. It’s hard on them”, Rivers said.
Delonta Rivers of Bronzeville
The CTA’s alternatives are simple and should be easy to use for commuters, but what about rush periods and special events?
The Chicago White Sox have 63 home games over the summer during the expected construction time. Fans and employees alike who usually rely on the Red line to get to and from U.S. Cellular Field will have find alternate routes to and from the game.
Red Line trains will be rerouted along the Green Line tracks this summer, and their first stop will be 35th/IIT, two blocks west of the 35th/Sox Red Line stop.
Jake Berent 
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