Construction beginning on South Side railroad project intended to reduce freight, Metra and traffic delays

Construction is beginning on a major railroad project on Chicago’s South Side that officials hope will unsnarl a key freight rail choke point, boost Metra service and improve conditions for drivers, pedestrians and residents in the area.

The work sets the stage for a series of projects that, if fully funded, could eventually further reduce freight train congestion and delays on Metra’s SouthWest Service, and send the line into the LaSalle Street Station, rather than its current terminal at Union Station.

The project that is getting underway would build a bridge at a rail intersection at 75th Street between Western and Damen avenues, untangling a significant choke point in one of the nation’s major rail hubs. Two major freight railroads intersect with a local switching railroad and Metra commuter trains at the site, where 30 Metra SouthWest Service trains cross paths with 35 freight trains.

Construction will also take place on a grade separation where CSX railroad tracks cross 71st Street, which officials said is intended to reduce delays and safety hazards for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

The $380 million projects are funded by federal, state, local and private money. The flyover is expected to be complete in 2024, at which point construction will begin on a second section of the 71st Street crossing.

“It’s about people sitting at grade crossings as the train goes by,” said Erin Aleman, executive director of the Chicago Metroplitan Agency for Planning, at a ceremonial groundbreaking Tuesday. “It’s about making sure that our transit system can move people reliably to where they need to go faster and affordably. It’s about making sure that our goods make it to the places that they need to go so that businesses can operate, so that households can have the resources they need to live.”

The work marks the start of the major 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project, part of the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program. CREATE, a public-private partnership, is undertaking rail projects across the congested Chicago area that aim to improve passenger and freight rail.

At a ceremony Tuesday, elected and transportation officials highlighted the role Chicago freight rail plays in the local and national economy and the importance of improving transportation efficiency. They also highlighted the potential for residents in the area to experience fewer delays behind the wheel of their cars or while walking.

“The reality is that I see transportation policy in Chicago as a matter of racial and economic justice, and for too long we haven’t acknowledged it as the social justice matter that it is. The reconstruction will eliminate 8,500 annual hours of passenger delay for our most vulnerable communities,” U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia said.

Future plans for the broader 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project call for reconfiguring and adding tracks in the area, further reducing conflicts between Metra and freight lines and eventually linking Metra’s SouthWest Service line with the Rock Island line. That would allow the SouthWest Service terminal to move from Union Station to LaSalle Street Station, freeing up space for more Amtrak service at Union Station.

About $600 million in additional work that is not part of the CREATE project is expected to be needed to send the SouthWest Service into LaSalle Street, according to Metra. Funding for the work hasn’t yet been identified, and Metra does not have an estimated time frame to finish that portion of the project.

sfreishtat@chicagotribune.com