About the 75th St. CIP

Project Overview

The 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project (75th St. CIP) is the largest project in the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program. The project is located in the Chicago neighborhoods of Ashburn, Englewood, Auburn Gresham and West Chatham along two passenger and four freight rail lines. The CREATE team - with help from the local community - identified the train and road problems in the study area in a document called the "project purpose and need." This team developed and evaluated several reasonable alternatives to address these problems and then prepared an Environmental Impact Statement to determine how the railroad tracks and roadways in the 75th St. CIP neighborhoods can be "untangled" so that trains, pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles can more easily move through the community. IDOT evaluated the environmental impacts of carrying forward these alternatives, including taking no action at all, which is known as the No-Build Alternative.

Construction on the P3 Project began in 2022 and is progressing now with preliminary earthwork, pest abatement, and tree removals taking place. Additionally, a temporary track realignment or 'shoo-fly' has been installed to allow for construction of the flyover structure in the footprint of the original track. As the project receives city permitting for structural elements, relocates existing utilities to eliminate conflicts, and procures structural steel for the flyover structure, work on retaining walls and the flyover will begin to ramp up through 2023. Although residents may still hear noise and feel vibrations from the site, erosion control and pest abatement measures have been installed to minimize impact to the neighboring community.

Design of the Rock Island Connection (P2) and the Belt Junction and 80th St. Junction Replacements (EW2) Projects, which was begun in 2020, is anticipated to be completed by mid-2025. Once the final designs are approved by the CREATE Program partners, construction on these projects will begin.

Project Benefits

71st St. Grade Separation (GS19)
This project involves the construction of a road-rail grade separation where the CSX freight line crosses 71st Street between Damen and Western Avenues. By eliminating the conflict point where pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers using 71st Street currently wait for trains to pass, drivers and pedestrians will be made safer. Construction is currently underway for this project and is anticipated to be completed before the end of 2025.

Forest Hill Flyover (P3)
This project involves the construction of a rail-rail flyover bridge at 75th Street between Damen and Western Avenue that will eliminate conflict between 30 SouthWest Service Metra trains and 35 freight trains operating daily on the Western Avenue Corridor (CSX). The construction of an additional main line for Metra operation and of the rail-rail flyover connection will reduce freight congestion and will connect Metra's SouthWest Service with the existing Rock Island District tracks, increasing capacity and improving reliability. Construction is currently underway for this project and is planned to conclude before the end of 2025.

Belt Junction and 80th St. Junction Replacements (EW2)
This project will eliminate the most congested rail chokepoint in the Chicago Terminal, the Belt Junction, where 30 Metra and 90 freight trains cross each other's paths each day. The project's current scope includes reconfiguring the Belt Railway Company (BRC) main tracks between the Dan Ryan Expressway and Belt Junction, including BRC, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific tracks, and eliminating multiple conflicting paths with Metra SouthWest Service and Amtrak trains. In tandem with the Rock Island Connection project (P2), this project will also consider reconfiguring and building a third BRC main track and constructing a flyover to connect the Metra SouthWest Service to the Rock Island Line in the vicinity of 74th Street and Normal and 75th Street and Parnell. By removing freight conflicts in the vicinity of 80th Street, the Amtrak Cardinal service performance is also expected to improve. Designs for this project are currently in development and are anticipated to be reviewed for approval by approximately 2025. Once approved by all CREATE Program partners and project funding is secured, construction will begin. A substantial portion of this project must be complete to start building the Rock Island Connection (P2) project.

Rock Island Connection (P2)
This project will consider constructing a second main track for Metra's SouthWest Service operations from near Wrightwood Station to Western Avenue, connecting with Metra's Rock Island District. In tandem with the Belt Junction and 80th Street Junction Replacements (EW2) project, this project will also consider reconfiguring and building a third BRC main track and constructing a flyover to connect the Metra SouthWest Service to the Rock Island Line in the vicinity of 74th Street and Normal and 75th Street and Parnell. By allowing Metra SouthWest Service trains to access LaSalle Street Station instead of Union Station, capacity is anticipated to increase for the Metra SouthWest Service and at Union Station, paving the way for increased Amtrak service and a proposed high-speed rail line. Designs for this project are currently in development and are anticipated to be reviewed for approval by approximately 2025. Once the final design of the Belt Junction and 80th Street Junction Replacements (EW2) project is complete and funding is determined, construction will then commence.