CTA Forest Park Branch of Blue Line, Phase One, Track Improvements, Racine Station, and Morgan Substation

Ardmore Roderick achieves on-time reopening of CTA’s Forest Park Branch through expert construction management

As part of Congress Corridor Partners (CCP), a joint venture with WSP USA Inc., Ardmore Roderick provided Construction Management Services for the Chicago Transit Authority’s Forest Park Branch Phase 1 Rebuild of the Blue Line. The Blue Line is one of Chicago’s most vital transit corridors, connecting O’Hare International Airport to the Downtown Business District and extending west to Forest Park, with the Forest Park Branch located entirely within the I-290 Eisenhower Expressway.

Phase 1 of the project involved two major contracts. The first included a complete 1.3-mile track renewal between the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)/Halsted and Illinois Medical District (IMD) stations, along with foundation and concrete work to prepare for future improvements. The second will deliver a new elevated substation at Morgan Street and a fully ADA-accessible Racine Street station house.

Ardmore Roderick played a pivotal role from the start, leading constructability reviews during pre-construction and developing the strategies needed to secure critical track access. During construction, the team managed the full replacement of the track bed, including subgrade, drainage, ballast, ties, fasteners, running rail, and special trackwork, along with upgrades to traction power, signals, and communications systems. The scope required the complete demolition and reconstruction of the track bed within an accelerated 75-day line outage, where crews worked around the clock to meet the Chicago Transit Authority’s deadline. Through expert oversight and disciplined execution, Ardmore Roderick helped achieve the successful, on-time reopening of this essential transit line before October 8, 2023, restoring reliable service for thousands of daily riders.