Englewood Flyover Bridge Work
Published: October 18, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Englewood Flyover bridge work to require Dan Ryan closures CHICAGO (Oct. 7, 2013) – The construction of a major railroad bridge over the Dan Ryan Expressway will impact highway drivers during overnight periods from Oct. 14 through Nov. 7, with lane closures and some brief full traffic stops while the work progresses. The changes are needed as Metra’s contractor will be erecting steel girders onto the concrete piers for the Englewood Flyover.
The flyover is a rail bridge over the Dan Ryan and over a set of Norfolk Southern freight tracks that is designed to eliminate conflicts between Metra trains on the Rock Island Line and freight and Amtrak trains on the NS tracks. The work will cover several different phases. During each phase, the periodic full closures will be in effect from midnight until 9 a.m. on the Saturday night into Sunday morning periods and 1 a.m. until 5 a.m. on all other nights. ? Oct. 14 to Oct. 18 o
Preparationworkwillresultinsomeshiftingoflanesontheinboundandoutbound express lanes between 63rd and 69th streets. ? Oct. 19 to Oct. 25 o Alloutboundtrafficwillbereducedtooneexpresslane,andthatlanewillbesubjectto periodic full closures. There will be access to the Chicago Skyway. Outbound ramps will be closed from 43rd St. through 63rd St. ? Oct. 26 to Nov. 1 o The outbound and inbound express lanes will be closed from 81st to 47th streets. The outbound local lanes will remain open but the inbound local lanes will be reduced to one lane, with that lane subject to full closures nightly. This work will also require intermittent stoppages for CTA Red Line trains as steel is lifted into place. ? Nov.2toNov.5 o
Workwillmovetotheinboundlocallaneswithalltrafficshiftedtotheinboundexpress lanes overnight. Outbound lanes will not be impacted. Nightly lane shifts are expected Nov. 6 and 7 to complete the work. The bridge is part of the federally funded CREATE program, an initiative to ease rail congestion in the Chicago region through the construction of new rail-to-rail and rail-to-highway grade separations. When the project is completed, the Englewood Flyover will carry the Metra Rock Island tracks over the Englewood interlocker and tracks used by Amtrak and freight trains at 63rd and State. Currently, 78 Metra Rock Island trains and approximately 60 freight and Amtrak trains pass through the Englewood interlocker each weekday. Separating these tracks will eliminate conflicts between Metra, Amtrak and freight trains decreasing delays and improving air quality by cutting residents’ exposure to emissions from idling trains.
## News Release Metra Media Relations 312-322-6776