L Question (Chicago, Aurora, Joliet: neighborhoods, construction, legal)

[WILWRadio]

Curious about something. Were any of the L lines that run in the middle of the Interstates built after the highway (s) was or were built? Or were all built before the highways were built?

[brianpmcdonnell17]

All of the CTA lines in highway medians were built after the highway. Chicago was the first of multiple American cities to put rapid transit lines in highway medians. Other examples include MARTA in the Atlanta area and the Washington Metro. The lines that are older than the highways are composed mostly of the elevated steel-supported segments such as the Loop and the Green Line.

[MarianRavenwood]

The freeways came first.

The CTA was officially formed in 1946, at which point the blue line followed Milwaukee Ave as it does today, but stopped at Logan Square. You can compare the expansion Here--as you can see, the map in 1965 still shows the Blue Line stopping @ Logan Sq...fifteen years after the Kennedy was built. The 1970 map shows it extending all the way to O'Hare (which was built in 1955).

If you use that same link, you can kind of follow the evolution of the Eisenhower construction (the opposite end of the same line)--in 1946, the line extended all the way to Broadview. Between 1946 and 1954 the line was shortened all the way back to Cicero. Gradually, over the ensuing years, the line was realigned and re-extended, as expressway construction was completed. First to Harlem, then in 1957 to Des Plaines/Forest Park (where it still ends today).

Note that the the stretch in between these two branches was realigned. In 1946, the Blue Line 'boomeranged' along Paulina---it didn't travel through the loop at all. It now travels through the Dearborn tunnel (which was actually built in the 1930s). Fortunately the CTA didn't demolish the Paulina tracks; today it forms part of the Pink Line and may one day be part of the 'Circle Line'.

There's a lot of information about the L history at Forgotten Chicago

[WILWRadio]

Thanks for the feedback. Talk of doing rail in Connecticut at this time (in addition to the existing lines already) and someone posting on the board insists that it is not possible for rail lines to be installed inside a Interstate due to legal issues with the Feds. Your feedback clears this up.

[Alacran]

Wish the L still came all the way to Maywood

[It'sAutomatic]

What is now the blue line on the west side existed as an elevated line before the Eisenhower expressway. They basically built that expressway underneath where the train once stood.

[Alacran]

Originally Posted by It'sAutomatic

What is now the blue line on the west side existed as an elevated line before the Eisenhower expressway. They basically built that expressway underneath where the train once stood.

oooooh
I wonder if there's any remnants left anywhere.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by It'sAutomatic

What is now the blue line on the west side existed as an elevated line before the Eisenhower expressway. They basically built that expressway underneath where the train once stood.

Almost the entire route of the current Eisenhower Expressway traveled through existing neighborhoods. No significant portion of the current Blue Line existed before the expressway was constructed -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Line_(CTA)#History

Older photographs pretty clearly show the path that is now the Eisenhower did not have anything like the current Blue Line -- Old Chicago Photos - ChicagoPhotoShop

Prior to the construction of the Eisenhower Expressway in 1958 (which was originally called the Congress Expressway, due to its alignment with the Congress Parkway...) the major CTA line serving the west side was the now abandoned Garfield Park Line. That was a very old route that was constructed in the era of private commuter services and was in very poor condition when eventually absorbed into the CTA... https://www.chicago-l.org/operations.../garfield.html A few remnants of that line have been absorbed into the current Green Line. For folks who never knew the era of private passenger rail transit the various connections that existed prior to the development of expressways is completely foriegn, but there are plenty of sources of history on the interwebs about how one got around before expressways linked Chicago to Elgin, Aurora, Joliet, Waukegan, and other once thriving cities... https://www.chicago-l.org/stations/hoyne-met.html There are thousands of such history pages -- Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Archive - History

[Alacran]

Imagine a humboldt park branch still running.
Rents up the ass.

some of these should of really stayed. Cars killed everything.

[Alacran]

Is it true the Orange Line might be extended to ford city?