After more than 50 years of proposals and plans, the Chicago Transit Authority has tapped a joint venture, Walsh-Vinci Transit Community Partners, to lead the design and construction of the Red Line Extension project, according to a news release from the agency. The contract is worth $2.9 billion.
The team is made up of Chicago-based firms Walsh Construction and engineering company EXP, alongside French partners Vinci Construction and Systra and other subcontractors, per CTA.
RLE is the largest project in CTA history and will provide faster connections from the Far South Side of Chicago to the rest of the city, per the release. Former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley first proposed the extension back in 1969, according to CBS News Chicago.
The transit improvements will add 5.6 miles of new track and four new fully accessible rail stations at 103rd, 111th, Michigan near 116th and 130th Street. Each station will include bus, bike, pedestrian and parking facilities.
Although the contract itself is $2.9 billion, the project’s full budget has increased to $5.3 billion, per the release, which covers cost increases for construction materials, labor and financing. This is a 47% increase from the prior budget of $3.6 billion.
The transit agency intends to secure funding for the budget increase with CTA-issued bonds, per the news release. This is on top of the $1.97 billion that the agency will receive from the federal government for the work.
CTA selected Walsh-Vinci’s proposal because the agency said the team provided an innovative design and construction approach that will minimize impacts to the community. Walsh has played a major part in recent construction in the city, including the $2.1 billion CTA’s Red and Purple Modernization Phase One Project.
The transit authority will begin performing advance construction work this fall, which includes the demolition of properties acquired for the extension and advance utility relocation ahead of major construction in late 2025. Officials expect construction to finish in 2030.
