DOWNTOWN -- A large stretch of elevated Loop tracks above Wabash on the eastern side of The Loop is in for a massive, $75 million modern transformation, with the city late Sunday unveiling a series of renderings that show an undulating canopy between Madison and Washington.
The overhauled Washington-Wabash stop is due to go under construction in the fall of 2014 and be open by 2016. The station is expected to serve 13,375 daily entries on weekdays, which would make it the 5th busiest CTA station on weekdays.
The station will serve the Brown, Green, Orange and Pink lines.
The city is touting the overhaul of the current stations over Wabash as a chance to create "a gateway for Millennium Park and the Loop, as well as transform the public’s perception and expectation of public transportation in Chicago."
“This station features a modern design with undulating waves that serve as a welcome contrast to the city grid and will replace two century-old stations that were not designed for the needs of modern public transit,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement.
“You cannot have a 21st century economy sitting on 20th century economic infrastructure and we continue to make investments throughout the entire CTA system to improve our infrastructure and brighten our economic future.”