Belmont CTA Blue Line Station To Get Flashy Upgrade Next Year

By Stephen Gossett in News on Oct 17, 2016 2:38PM

Belmont Gateway / Courtesy CTA

The Belmont Blue Line Station is getting a snazzy-looking overhaul.

A swooping, contemporary-style canopy will replace the aging street-level infrastructure, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CTA President Dorval Carter announced on Monday. The expanded-coverage canopy, called the Belmont Gateway, will be designed by designed by local architecture firm Carol Ross Barney, whose projects include the Chicago Riverwalk, CTA Cermak-McCormick Station and the 606 Framework Plan.

“Projects like this bring notable architecture and design that celebrates and complements the character of our communities, enhance our neighborhoods and bring economic and cultural opportunities to residents and businesses,” Emanuel said in a statement. “The Your New Blue program has already created notable improvements for Blue Line customers on the O’Hare branch, and now we’re expanding those to the Avondale community. We are committed to continuing our unprecedented investment in creating a world-class transit system.”

The project—which is still in the design phase—will also include various streetscape and landscape upgrades, plus prepaid bus boarding, The prepaid program was first piloted at the same station, for the #77 Belmont route during the evening rush hour, earlier this year.

The upgrade is expected to cost up to $15 million, with construction to begin in 2017. Judging from the renderings, it should look pretty impressive.

Belmont Gateway / Courtesy CTA