The 52-year-old Western Avenue Viaduct over Belmont and Clybourn was deteriorating and reaching the end of its useful life. Due to the type of box beam construction originally used, repair or rehabilitation of the existing structure is not a feasible long term solution. As a result, the existing viaduct needed to be demolished. The project included:

• Repairs to the bridge over the North Branch Chicago River
• Improvements along Western and at the intersections of Western with Schubert, Diversey/Elston, Belmont, Roscoe and Addison
• New lighting and landscaped medians along much of the corridor
• Interconnected traffic signals with the capacity to provide Transit Signal Priority for CTA buses, speeding up bus service
• Pedestrian safety improvements including pedestrian refuge islands, bump-outs, high-visibility crosswalks, wider sidewalks, and the addition of pedestrian countdown signals at all signalized intersections
• ADA ramps installed at all the corners along the project corridor

As a subconsultant to Burns & McDonnell, Ardmore provided construction inspection services for all phases of the project:

• Viaduct removal deck replacement on the river bridge, and road construction
• Pavement reconstruction within the viaduct footprint, pavement widening and resurfacing, sidewalk reconstruction, traffic signal improvements, and roadway lighting
• Median construction, landscaping, and miscellaneous parkway improvement
  

Upon completion of the project, Western Avenue will have three lanes of traffic in each direction during rush hours, with the curbside lane available for parking in some areas of the corridor during non-rush hours. The project will also provide roadway improvements along a 1.27 mile stretch of Western Avenue from Logan Boulevard to Waveland Avenue.