The Loop's New Rapid CTA Bus Route Is Finally Launching
By Kate Shepherd in News on Dec 14, 2015 6:52PM
Get ready for Loop Link. The CTA's bus route through new, dedicated Loop Link lanes will start on Sunday Dec. 20, the transit agency announced in a statement.
The new system is supposed to separate CTA bus, bike and regular traffic in the Loop to make it easier and safer for everyone to navigate downtown streets. CTA buses will use dedicated lanes on Washington, Madison, Clinton and Canal for CTA buses. The red bus lanes and raised boarding platforms on Madison and Washington Streets will open on Sunday.
For those wondering just how much the months-long, $33 million transportation project will affect traffic patterns, the wait is over. The goal is to eliminate bottlenecks on the most congested portion of bus routes and speed up their passage through downtown. Service is supposed to improve on the J14, 19 20, 56, 60 124 and 157 bus routes.
"The Loop Link will deliver fast, safe, and reliable access for all Chicagoans to the vast array of economic and cultural opportunities that are available in the heart of the city," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in the statement. "Whether you live on the South Side, the West Side or the North Side, the Loop Link is part of the city's efforts to widen access to jobs and educational opportunities for all of Chicago's residents."
There's already one delay: the entire system won't be ready by this weekend. The eighth boarding station on Madison east of Wabash is expected to open in January. The Canal Street leg of the Loop Link is scheduled to be ready in spring 2016.
The Department of Transportation "has been working very hard to wrap up major work on the Loop Link and deliver on schedule the benefits of this project to Chicago's bus riders, bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists," CDOT Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld said in the statement.
The local transportation advocacy group Active Transportation Alliance applauded the effort, but said the city could have taken it farther, for example by creating the ability for passengers to pre-pay before they board.