CHICAGO — Access to Chicago Union Station will change beginning this evening (Monday, Aug. 7) as the Chicago Department of Transportation begins an 18-month process to rehabilitate four viaducts on Canal Street between Taylor and Madison streets.
As a result, no vehicle access to Union Station between West Adams Street and West Jackson Boulevard, and sidewalks along Canal Street will be partially blocked. Amtrak, in a customer advisory, recommends arriving at least 45 minutes before a scheduled departure and cautions those coming to the station to expect significant traffic congestion.
City of Chicago information on the project is available here, but these are the key changes for those using the station:
— The new primary access point is at 255 S. Clinton Street, between Adams and Jackson and across from West Quincy Street. This is a disability-accessible location and leads directly into the Great Hall and train concourses. Entrances at the corners of Clinton with Adams and Clinton with Jackson also lead to the Great Hall and trains.
— Taxis will pick up along Jackson Boulevard between Canal and Clinton streets. The ride share and loading zone is along Adams street between Canal and Clinton.
— Amtrak Thruway buses wills top on Quincy Street directly across from the Clinton Street mid-block entrance. Some Greyhound buses also serve this stop.
After they closed the taxi loading and unloading areas that are under Canal Street and very convenient but closed due to safety concerns. Not sure who will be inconvienenced by the construction
The thousands of city rats that live in the depths below Canal Street will be inconvenienced, of that I have no doubt.
When CDOT tore up a block of State Street for a similar rehabilitation, displaced rats got into everything nearby. I was working at 1 N. State when they did this and they had problems with them coming up the elevator and power cable shafts via the basements of nearby buildings looking for new homes. They got as high as the 22nd floor.
I believe the west station tracks, #2 on the south and #1 on the north are under
Canal Street and these viaducts. Most of the Metra BNSF express to Naperville trains depart from track 2. Not sure how track 1 is used for the Metrthata Milwaukee service. But thats for another
day.