ROSELAND — The Chicago Transit Authority will use $75 million to finalize the path an extension of the Red Line would take from 95th Street to 130th Street.
The money will be used to begin drafting the alignment of the 5.3 new miles of tracks and four new stations and to study the impact of the $2.3 billion project on the surrounding area, officials said.
Officials are considering two routes, an east option and a west option.
Chicagoans have until Wednesday to weigh in on which of the two options they prefer by emailing RedExtension@transitchicago.com.
The studies now underway will be used by CTA officials to apply for $1 billion from the federal government.
RELATED: Dozens of Homes Would Need To Be Demolished Under Red Line Extension
Under the east option, the CTA elevated structure would be built east of the Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way from 99th Street to 118th Street. This option would affect 260 parcels, including 106 buildings, 90 of which are residential, officials said. Under this route, more single-family residences would be affected, officials said.
Under the west option, the line would run west of the Union Pacific Railroad from 99th to 118th. This option would affect more commercial and industrial properties, some 205 of them, officials said. About 46 would require building demolitions; 26 are residential.
RELATED: Red Line Extension Could Run Through Parks Along Route
The new stations would be built at 103rd Street, 111th Street, Michigan Avenue and 130th Street. New park-and-ride and bus terminal facilities also will be built at each station. A new yard and shop at 120th Street is part of the plan as well.
"The Red Line extension project is a transformational project to expand transit to Chicago's southern border and create faster access to jobs, education and opportunity," CTA President Dorval Carter said in a statement.
Construction could begin as early as 2022, and be completed in 2026, officials said.
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