Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Capital Projects Rpm topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Red-Purple modernization nears opening of four accessible stations; CTA reports DBE and workforce progress
Summary
CTA officials said four Red-Purple Modernization stations near Lawrence–Bryn Mawr will open this month and reported DBE contract and workforce-hour milestones, while staff and project leads discussed community outreach and station finishes.
CTA project leaders told the board on July 9 that four Red-Purple Modernization (RPM) stations — Lawrence, Berwyn, Argyle and Bryn Mawr — were nearing completion and that the project team was finishing station-level work and public outreach ahead of openings this month.
Grace Oz, vice president of RPM construction, displayed photos of nearly completed stations and said crews were finishing granite, elevators, escalators, digital signage and street-level paving. Oz said testing on the new tracks had started in June and that operations and training work with rail operators was underway.
Timing: Project presenters gave slightly different near-term opening dates in remarks to the board. Acting President Nora Lierz referenced a July 21 station opening in her remarks while RPM staff described readiness to open the four new stations on July 20. Both dates were stated in the meeting transcript and are attributed here to the respective speakers.
DBE and workforce update: Juan Pablo Prieto, director of diversity programs, reported that as of May 31 RPM phase 1 had awarded contracts to 122 unique Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) totaling more than $298,000,000; he said 55 of those firms were new to CTA. DBE payments to date exceeded $245,000,000, representing 20.81% attainment toward the DBE goal. On workforce metrics, staff reported more than 2,800 unique workers had logged over 2.5 million labor hours and had earned about $151,000,000 to date. Prieto said the program remained on track to meet workforce goals and highlighted outreach events in June designed to connect contractors with local DBEs and workers.
Community engagement: Staff said they were conducting pop-up events and outreach in neighborhoods to notify riders and nearby residents about station openings and to solicit local input on station-area activation.
Board reaction: Directors praised the work and asked staff to return with safety comparisons (before/after) once stations had been in service; staff noted tactile platform edges, improved lighting and other safety features would be included. Directors also urged continued DBE and workforce outreach.
Next steps: CTA will continue final testing, operator familiarization, and community communications ahead of the imminent station openings and ongoing construction milestones.
