Although Labor Day marks the unofficial start of fall, summer construction season will be in full force for weeks to come at the CTA. For bus riders, fall schedules go into effect Sunday on 74 routes; depending on your bus, arrival times, frequency or span of service could be affected. Go to transitchicago.com for updated schedules. Going Public rounds up current and upcoming station projects:
>>Midway Orange Line stop: The moving walkway is ending next year. The Chicago Department of Aviation is removing the moving sidewalk that links the CTA stop to the parking lot attached to the airport. It's part of a larger project to get commuters from trains to planes. Construction will start next year on the sidewalk removal and the addition of two new escalators and new elevators, which will "greatly enhance" rider experience, aviation spokeswoman Karen Pride said. The department could not provide a rendering of the future set-up to GP.
>>Wilson Red Line stop: Construction is expected to begin this fall to make the Uptown station accessible for riders with disabilities and a transfer point for the Purple Line Express. There is no start date for the $203 million project but Ald. James Cappleman (46th) is holding a public meeting with the CTA at 7 p.m., Sept. 16, at Truman College, 1145 W. Wilson Ave. Construction is expected to last into 2017.
>>95th Red Line stop: Construction is slated to begin this fall on the $240 million project that will include a new terminal, but there is no start date yet. Work is expected to last into 2016.
>>Blue Line: This past weekend was the final weekend of track work that required partial Blue Line suspensions. The second phase of the four-year, $492 million Blue Line overhaul project is station work, which begins next month with the California stop.
>>California Blue Line stop: Starting Sept. 4, the stop in Logan Square will close until Oct. 16 for stationhouse and platform repairs. Trains will pass by the station but won't stop. There will be no shuttles to replace service at the station, but there will be more service on the No. 56-Milwaukee bus, which parallels the Blue Line.
>>Damen Blue Line stop: Starting Oct. 20, the Bucktown stop will close until Dec. 22 for stationhouse and platform work. Like the California construction, trains will pass by the station but won't stop. There is no shuttle service but extra No. 56 service.
>>Brown Line: Slow-zone work between the Armitage and Merchandise Mart stops will continue through next year. Watch for trains running single-track on the weekends. The CTA will announce any additional service disruptions for the $71 million project closer to track upgrades in the spring.
>>Cermak-McCormick Place Green Line stop: Work continues on the new Near South Side station, a $50 million project expected to be completed at the end of the year. Watch for temporary suspension of weekend Green Line service between the 35th-Bronzeville-IIT and Roosevelt stations including Sept. 6-7 from 1:40 to 11:40 a.m. each day. Shuttles will replace trains.
>>Quincy Loop stop: Construction may begin next year on a $15.7 million project to make the Loop station accessible to riders with disabilities. Slated improvements include the addition of new elevators and the replacement of two sets of entrance stairs as well as other repairs.
>>Washington-Wabash Loop station: Construction of a new Loop superstation, which would replace and consolidate the Randolph/Wabash and Madison/Wabash stops, is expected to begin in spring 2015. Work on the $75 million project is expected to last more than a year.
>>Clark/Division Red Line stop: The Chicago Department of Transportation continues to rebuild the Near North Side stop's original 1940s mezzanine and platform through mid-2015 in a $50 million project.
Stationary
A weekly dispatch from a CTA station of note
This week: Harlem Blue Line stop on the O'Hare branch
Unlike about half of the other Blue Line stations of the O'Hare branch, the Norwood Park station is accessible for riders with disabilities-but accessibility is still a problem. It's difficult to cross Harlem Avenue here, especially amid traffic exiting and entering the Kennedy Expressway. The Chicago Department of Transportation has proposed pedestrian improvements around 10 CTA stations but the Harlem stop is not one of them. Half of the stops proposed to see upgrades are Blue Line stations; hopefully Harlem will join this list in the future.
Next up: Rockwell Brown Line