What is the South Halsted Bus Corridor Enhancement Project?
This project consists of a study that will result in a set of recommendations to improve public transportation along South Halsted Street. The study corridor includes approximately 11 miles of South Halsted Street, from the Pace Harvey Transportation Center in the City of Harvey to 79th Street in the City of Chicago, servicing the communities of Harvey, Phoenix, Calumet Park, Riverdale, Dixmoor and the City of Chicago neighborhoods of West Pullman, Morgan Park, Roseland, Washington Heights, and Auburn Gresham.
This study is exploring potential transit improvements for the corridor’s 11,500 daily transit customers. Improvements being considered as part of the project include:
- New stations south of 95th Street, and improved stations north of 95th Street
- Updated passenger amenities
- Realigned bus stops
- Accessibility improvements
- Roadway treatments such as queue jumps and short bus lanes at select intersections
- Traffic signal optimization and transit prioritization
- Enhanced coordination of Pace and CTA services
In addition, Pace is proposing bringing a new premium bus service, called Pulse, to South Halsted Street from the CTA 95th/Dan Ryan Red Line Station to the Pace Harvey Transportation Center.
Why is this project needed?
Transit is in high demand on the South Halsted Corridor between the Pace Harvey Transportation Center and 79th Street. But trends show that commuters are waiting over 20% longer to get to their destination compared to the average commuter in Cook County. There is also limited service in the middle of the day and into the evening, making it difficult for passengers to get to their destination when they need to. In addition, there’s a lack of quality stations that are easy to walk to and that include seating and weather protection. It is time to upgrade bus service and infrastructure to better serve communities along South Halsted Street.
Improvements are being developed and evaluated with input from local municipalities, agencies, and the public.
Where is the project located?
The project corridor is located along approximately 11 miles of South Halsted Street, from the Pace Harvey Transportation Center to 79th Street. The corridor also includes segments of 79th and 95th streets that provide connections from South Halsted Street to the CTA Red Line 79th and 95th/Dan Ryan stations. The project corridor will serve the communities of Harvey, Phoenix, Calumet Park, Riverdale, Dixmoor and the City of Chicago neighborhoods of West Pullman, Morgan Park, Roseland, Washington Heights, and Auburn Gresham. For location details, see the Pulse Halsted Location map.
What is the process and schedule for the project?
The South Halsted Bus Corridor Enhancement Project is led by Pace and CTA. A joint planning study was initiated in early 2018 to evaluate the project area and identify potential bus service improvements. Pace and CTA established a Corridor Advisory Group (CAG) consisting of community leaders, elected officials, regional government entities, and transit agencies to help identify local concerns regarding transit access and mobility in the project area and provide guidance on solutions. With their help, a Corridor Evaluation, Recommendations, and Project Strategy Final Report was developed which outlines alternatives for infrastructure improvements, preliminary station locations, service and operating plans, proposed running way improvements, and project cost estimates.
Pace and CTA are developing proposed improvements and analyzing potential environmental impacts. The project is following a federally mandated environmental review known as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process to identify and evaluate potential impacts to the natural and built environment. The environmental review process was initiated in October 2019 and is anticipated to be completed in summer 2022 with Corridor Advisory Group and public meetings taking place at various stages of the project.
As part of the environmental review, the project team is analyzing and documenting the project’s anticipated impact on air quality, ecological, archaeological, and historic resources as well as noise and vibration. Throughout the project, Pace and CTA will continue to seek public input on the proposed improvements and potential environmental impacts to develop transit services and infrastructure that best fits the local communities. Based on the environmental review and input from local municipalities, agencies, and the public, a final plan for bus enhancements will be developed for federal approval.
With federal approval, the project will then move forward with developing detailed designs for station locations and proposed roadway improvements like queue jumps and short bus lanes at select locations.
Pending funding, construction is anticipated to begin in 2024 with the goal of having new, improved bus service operating on South Halsted Street in 2026.
