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CTA to Make Route 10 Year‑Round, Extend Service to Obama Presidential Center; Board Approves Omnibus Item
Summary
The Chicago Transit Authority board approved an ordinance to extend and rename bus Route 10 to provide year‑round, 30‑minute service to the Obama Presidential Center, closing a 3.25‑mile gap along Stony Island. CTA estimates the change could add about 150,000 annual rides and will coordinate signage and stop upgrades with CDOT and OPC.
The Chicago Transit Authority on April 8 approved an ordinance to extend and rename bus Route 10, turning the seasonal Museum of Science and Industry summer express into daily, year‑round service that will run every 30 minutes between Water Tower Place and the Obama Presidential Center campus.
CTA Chief Planning and Innovation Officer Molly Poppie told the Strategic Planning and Service Delivery Committee that the extension will close a 3.25‑mile gap along Stony Island and that staff estimate the change will "drive about 150,000 additional riders," roughly triple the route's current summer ridership. She said staff plan to operate the service from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and begin steps to implement signage and stop upgrades before Memorial Day weekend.
The move responds to the opening of the Obama Presidential Center (OPC). "We are seeking to introduce daily bus service year round," Poppie said, adding that CTA is coordinating with the Chicago Department of Transportation, Metra and the Regional Transportation Authority on wayfinding and stop improvements. Poppie said CTA will initially lay over buses near the YMCA at 64th and Stony Island and monitor ridership "at the beginning and then throughout" to determine whether additional adjustments are needed.
Directors praised the change and asked about layover space, accessibility to Red and Green line transfers and how OPC will promote transit. Chairman Lester Barclay and Director Rosa Ortiz said the expansion will better connect South Side assets and improve frequent‑network access. Poppie said OPC has limited parking and has been "very excited about promoting transit," and staff are exploring formal agreements for joint promotion and on‑campus access.
The committee placed the ordinance on the omnibus; the board approved the omnibus and adopted the ordinance by roll call (Directors Raquel, Ortiz, Barclay and Jakes voting yes). CTA staff said signage fabrication will begin a few weeks before Memorial Day and that the center opens to the public June 19.
CTA will monitor crowding and ridership and adjust service levels and other routes — including the 28, 15 and 6 — as needed. The agency said the 63rd and 55th routes, which provide 10‑minute or better frequent service in peak periods, will offer direct connections to the OPC campus.
The ordinance takes effect as part of the board's omnibus approvals and CTA staff said additional implementation details and any further interagency agreements would be brought back to the board as needed.
