CTA 100 percent rail station accessibility

[BusHunter]

The trib had an article on this.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-cta-accessibility-program-met-20160106-story.html

(can't view the article due to a pay wall, use your smartphone)

They mention that CTA is looking at ways to make the final 32 percent of stations accessible. They state they cannot make Damen/Milwaukee accessible without buying property. I think they could make it accessible. Just push back the stairs from the station house as far back as they can go, they have an extra 20-25 feet to play with and put your elevator where the stairs are now. Or they could leave the stairs alone and put the elevator back where the stairs are proposed by me. The elevator would be next to a building but if encased in brick like the brown line stops it wouldn't matter. Another option is pull out the station house to be more flush with Damen. That buys 30 feet at least. They should have the space to do this. I would think North/Clybourn would be more difficult as it would probably need a complete reconstruction

[Busjack]

Was also on Channel 7.1 last night, and after Chuck Goudie about plotzed implying that it was an ADA violation that people were hauling suitcases down the stairs at Clinton/Congress (did Amtrak just come in from LA or was it staged?), showed an image of the Press Release, which is here.

If only 46 of 146 stations are not accessible, the vast majority of those stations are on the two heaviest lines, Red North and Blue. As indicated in the Press Release, Wilson and RPM would take care of the Red Line, and if they ever redo the Eisenhower part, that would take care of that, but BusHunter left the inference that putting Your New Blue on the list was a farce, as only one station gets an elevator.

7 hours ago, BusHunter said:

They state they cannot make Damen/Milwaukee accessible without buying property.

But, if nothing else, that provides their excuse why the project was a half adzed job given only $400 million was allocated to it. Remember, I said most of the station work was simply decorating on the cheap.

____________

BTW, I noted that while  the body of thr Press Release had the usual homages to "Mayor Rahm Emanuel," that phrase was not in the headline, nor any mention of him at the event. I guess the City Hall press office has other concerns. Didn't I hear something about the Law Dept.?

[BusHunter]

2 hours ago, Busjack said:

Was also on Channel 7.1 last night, and after Chuck Goudie about plotzed implying that it was an ADA violation that people were hauling suitcases down the stairs at Clinton/Congress (did Amtrak just come in from LA or was it staged?), showed an image of the Press Release, which is here.

If only 46 of 146 stations are not accessible, the vast majority of those stations are on the two heaviest lines, Red North and Blue. As indicated in the Press Release, Wilson and RPM would take care of the Red Line, and if they ever redo the Eisenhower part, that would take care of that, but BusHunter left the inference that putting Your New Blue on the list was a farce, as only one station gets an elevator.

But, if nothing else, that provides their excuse why the project was a half adzed job given only $400 million was allocated to it. Remember, I said most of the station work was simply decorating on the cheap.

____________

BTW, I noted that while  the body of thr Press Release had the usual homages to "Mayor Rahm Emanuel," that phrase was not in the headline, nor any mention of him at the event. I guess the City Hall press office has other concerns. Didn't I hear something about the Law Dept.?

I can't imagine why they would say they can't do Damen/Milwaukee blue line. I can only think of the platform to North Ave on the nb side is not wide enough for wheelchairs ( I think they need 10 feet across) but you could solve that just putting a rotogate at the 8 car mark and just leaving the rotogate at the north ave exit if they don't want loitering on the platform. Regardless though the blue line will be last and the blue line subway stations will take as long to complete as the Red line subway ones and those have been getting rebuilt since the mid to late 90's. So if they got on the horn now maybe they could make 2040. i still don't understand why all loop stations are not accessible. Those should be the priority.

[Busjack]

1 hour ago, BusHunter said:

Regardless though the blue line will be last and the blue line subway stations will take as long to complete as the Red line subway ones and those have been getting rebuilt since the mid to late 90's.

Issue there is how well this group is coordinating with CDOT, as CDOT owns the subways (as its predecessor was the grantee during the Great Depression).

1 hour ago, BusHunter said:

i still don't understand why all loop stations are not accessible. Those should be the priority.

Issue is what they want to do with one ones that need reconstruction, primarily State/Lake, Adams/Wabash, and LaSalle/Van Buren. There was the CMAQ application for State/Lake, but CMAP staff didn't approve it.

However, your question gets down to what Chuck Goudy didn't understand--CTA is compliant with ADA regs because they require adding accessibility only if that is less than 20% the cost of construction. No construction, essentially no violation, so long as there is an accessible station close enough (5 miles on the Metra Electric). Goudy seems to think that CTA should put an elevator into Argyle now, even though the plan is to tear out that stretch and replace it.