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Metra Southwest Service
Award of Merit: Transportation
The Metra commuter line's Southwest Service serves a booming
corridor between the Southwest Side of Chicago and the former
Joliet Arsenal property.
Metra forecasts that 4,763 new riders will be added by 2008,
with an additional 13,800 passengers by 2020, and an expansion
project was initiated.
In January, Metra's upgrade was completed, extending 12 mi.
of rail service from Orland Park to Manhattan and increasing
daily trains from 16 to 30.
Several warming shelters and platforms were built, and parking
lots were built, including the 371-space facility at Palos Park.
Infrastructure work included signal upgrades, a new segment
of double track from Palos Park to 143rd Street, replacement
of seven bridges, rehabilitation and extension of five other
bridges, replacement of numerous culverts, wetlands analysis
and improvements and improved handicapped accessibility.
More than 2,500 ft. of retaining wall was designed, improvements
were made to the 179th Street Yard and a new yard and crew facility
was designed for the end of the line in Manhattan.
The Southwest Service now stretches 41 mi. from Chicago's Union
Station, allowing more commuters to travel conveniently by rail
to and from the city and creating more economic opportunities
for suburban residents. Ridership increased in its first year
by 9.3 percent.
Not all benefits can be measured in ridership figures or construction
details.
For example, Metra studies estimate that more than 1 million
gallons of gasoline will be saved each year by drivers converting
to rail service, while 15.3 million fewer mi. will be traveled
by drivers, resulting in 80 fewer vehicle accidents annually.
Moving Commuters
Because keeping commuter and freight service operational
during construction was critical, work was staged on bridges,
platforms and stations to minimize disruptions.
Each bridge presented a special problem, the double track
through girder-beamed bridges were particularly unique in
construction and staging.
Two 90-year-old, double-track, through-girder bridges were
rehabilitated.
These bridges were reconstructed in halves longitudinally
to maintain rail traffic. Staging required one track to be
shut down, removed and rebuilt while the other track was operational.
Jury Comments: "It's a logical expansion. The Southwest
Suburbs are growing, and more people means greater demand
for public transportation."
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