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Wilson 'L' Station Escalator, Elevator Now Open

By Josh McGhee | September 20, 2017 6:29am
 At 4 a.m., the main station entrance on the south side of Wilson Avenue will open for the first time to the public allowing access to one escalator and elevator, said CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase.
At 4 a.m., the main station entrance on the south side of Wilson Avenue will open for the first time to the public allowing access to one escalator and elevator, said CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase.
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DNAinfo/Josh McGhee

UPTOWN — Welp, that's enough of those dang stairs ...

Commuters at Wilson Station have long complained about the ascent to meet their Red or Purple Line trains. Now they can rest those weary legs.

Early this morning, the main station entrance on the south side of Wilson Avenue opened for the first time to the public, allowing access to one escalator and elevator, CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase said.

The opening fulfills a promise Mayor Rahm Emanuel made to an Uptown resident months ago, Chase said.

After a news conference in March announcing the beginning of the final phase of the Wilson Station Reconstruction Project, a woman approached the mayor and asked "if there was any way you can open up the elevator portion."

Emanuel then spoke with CTA President Dorval Carter about opening up the elevator sooner than planned, CTA spokesman Brian Steele said.

Originally, the station's elevator was not supposed to open until all construction was complete, but after the conversation the CTA promised it would open in early fall.

The Wilson Station is a "pretty important" for handicapped people to access. It's the first Red Line station between Addison and Granville to add accessibility, Chase said.

The northbound platform entrance on the north side of Wilson will be completed in October, CTA said. New station artwork will be unveiled then, too.

The new entrance on Sunnyside Avenue is scheduled to be completed in November. While the new tenants of the Gerber building will be announced in the fall, the complete restoration should be completed at the end of the year, CTA said.