Wabash Avenue reopens in Loop as new CTA station progresses

CHICAGO (SUN TIMES MEDIA WIRE) - A section of Wabash Avenue in the Loop reopened Friday morning after being closed for months to allow for construction of a new CTA station.

The Chicago Department of Transportation announced Friday that Wabash has reopened between Washington and Madison, a move the department calls a “milestone” in the construction of a new Washington-Wabash elevated CTA station.

The closure between Madison and Washington started in November 2016, following a 10-week closure of Wabash between Madison and Monroe.

The new station will replace the Randolph/Wabash and Madison/Wabash stations, which date back to 1896, according to a statement from Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office. The new station will open in early summer and serve Brown, Green, Orange, Pink and Purple line commuters.

“The re-opening of Wabash represents real progress in our push to give the east side of the Loop a beautiful, modern, 21st Century elevated station that we can all be proud of,” Emanuel said.

“We thank all the merchants along Jewelers’ Row who have been open for business and bearing with us during this construction process” he said. “We are just a few months away from opening up the new station that will create a fully accessible gateway to the Loop and all the attractions in Millennium Park.”