For the past six weeks, Joe Siebelts has taken a daily walking tour of Logan Square-thanks to the closure of the California Blue Line station for repairs.
Siebelts, 27, previously bused to the California stop in Logan Square to hop on the Blue Line to Rosemont for work.
After the CTA shuttered the station in early September for platform and stationhouse repairs, Siebelts took the bus to the Division or Logan Square Blue Line stops to grab the Blue Line. In the evenings, he walked home from these stations.
He said he hasn't minded rerouting his commute, though he is happy to have his station back.
"I have been taking advantage of the great fall weather in the evenings and just walking home," said Siebelts, who lives in Lincoln Park. "That said, I am very excited for the California stop to reopen. It is still the most convenient and efficient for making a transfer on my long commute-especially important as the weather is getting colder."
The California station is scheduled to reopen to riders at 1 a.m. Thursday. During construction, Blue Line trains bypassed the station, which typically sees about 5,000 entries on an average weekday.
When riders return to the California stop Thursday, they can expect to see new LED lighting on platforms, restored historic woodwork and new bike racks, among other improvements.
Blue Line riders shouldn't get too excited, though. The Damen Blue Line stop in Wicker Park closes Monday at 1 a.m., until Dec. 22 for similar repairs. Neither station, which both opened in 1895, is getting an escalator or an elevator to become accessible for riders with disabilities.
Chris Bushell, CTA chief infrastructure officer, said the purpose of the work was to "stabilize" or extend the life of the stations.
The station improvements are part of the CTA's $492 million upgrade to the O'Hare branch of the Blue Line and subway. This year, the CTA has worked to remove slow zones on the branch to speed commutes by 10 minutes.
For the shutdown of the Damen stop, which typically sees about 7,000 weekday entries, the CTA is providing additional No. 56-Milwaukee and No. 70-Division bus service. There will not be shuttles buses to take riders to other Blue Line stations.
There will be street closures tied to the project. North and Damen avenues by the station will be closed overnight for car traffic until Dec. 22. The closures will occur from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., Sunday through Thursday and 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., Friday and Saturday.
Buses will be rerouted in those areas.
Laurent Lebec, a manager of Big Star taqueria, across the street from the Damen stop, is optimistic the station closure won't impact business too much.
"I think [customers] will make their way here with other forms of transportation," Lebec said.