page_title: Chicago Central Area Transit Plan
section_title: New Horizons for Chicago Metropolitan Area (1958)
hierarchical_section_title: Chicago Central Area Transit Plan / New Horizons for Chicago Metropolitan Area (1958)
caption_attribution_description: English: (View of the proposed Wells Street Subway intersecting the Congress Street (West-Northwest) Subway. New Horizons for Chicago Metropolitan Area, CTA. January, 1958.) - Published on Wikipedia in english
context_page_description: The Chicago Central Area Transit Plan, generally referred to as the Chicago Central Area Transit Project in the 1970s, was an extensive study of the rapid transit system in downtown Chicago; the study had begun in 1965.
  In April 1968, the completed study resulted in a three-volume report that proposed a series of recommendations for redeveloping and expanding Central Area communities, and for the replacement of The Loop elevated rapid transit system with a new loop subway under Randolph, Franklin, Van Buren, and Wabash, and a new distributor subway system in downtown Chicago.
  Volume 1 of the three-volume report presented proposals resulting from the study as well as analyses of the various background reports that influenced such proposals. Also included were estimates of usage of the new subway system along with projections of probable economic and social benefits. Aesthethic considerations, construction scheduling and cost estimated were presented.
  Volume 2 included detailed preliminary plans, architectural, and engineering drawings, which were to be the basis for construction contracts for the proposed loop and distributor subway systems.
context_section_description: The next major step in the development of downtown subways in Chicago came in January 1958, when the Chicago Transit Authority proposed the New Horizons for Chicago's Metropolitan Area, a $315 million, 20-year rapid transit improvement and expansion program to be carried out once financial arrangements had been made. The program was divide into three principal categories:
  1. Construction of rapid transit subways and extensions
  West Side subway – billed as America's first expressway median rapid transit line, opened June 22, 1958 through March 20, 1960, connecting with the Milwaukee–Dearborn subway and extends west to Des Plaines Avenue, Forest Park. Estimated cost was $41,636,000.
  Northwest Rapid Transit – Extension from Logan Square "L" subway route northward between Talman and Rockwell Avenues to the Northwest Expressway and then northwest in expressway right-of-way to a terminal at the City Limits northwest, and in the future, to O'Hare International Airport. Estimated cost, $31,000,000.
  South Side Rapid Transit – Construction of a rapid transit route in the South Expressway from 30th Street to 103rd Street on the Calumet branch of the Expressway, and to 119th Street on the Blue Island branch, with a connection to the Englewood "L" branch at 59th Street. Estimated cost, $31,750,000.
  Southwest Rapid Transit – Construction of exclusive bus-lanes in the median of the Southwest Expressway from a connection with the South Expressway near Halsted Street and Cermak Road to Cicero Avenue. Estimated cost, $7,000,000.
  Wells Street subway – Construction of a new north–south subway through the central business district in Wells Street from a connection with the North Side "L" structure near Chicago Avenue to a connection with the proposed South Expressway median rapid transit line near 30th Street. Estimated cost, $25,000,000.
  Jackson Boulevard subway – Construction of an east–west subway in Jackson Boulevard from a connection with the West Side subway near Halsted Street to a terminal loop in Grant Park. Estimated cost, $20,000,000.
  Washington Street subway – Construction a bus subway in Washington Street between Canal Street and Michigan Avenue. Estimated cost, $15,000,000.
  Lake Street routing via West Side subway – Construction of a connection between the Lake Street rapid transit route and the West Side subway, via Belt Railroad right-of-way adjacent to the railroad embankment. Estimated cost, $3,500,000.
  Englewood-Clearing extension – Extension of the Englewood rapid transit branch west from 63rd & Loomis to 63rd & Cicero. Estimated cost, $20,500,000.
  California–Western rapid transit – Construction of a rapid transit line in the median of the proposed Cross-town Expressway from a connection with the Northwest Expressway to a connection with the proposed Englewood branch extension. Estimated cost, $14,000,000.
  2. Modernization of existing rapid transit facilities
  Loomis station – shortly before the New Horizons plan was published, CTA completed this project, which provided a speed ramp. Approximate cost, $33,000.
  Randolph/Wabash station – around the time of this program, CTA and Marshall Field & Company had completed modernization of this Loop station with a station house and improved lighting. Approximate cost, $40,000.
  Four-track structure through Wilson station area – Construction of two additional tracks in this area to eliminate a bottleneck that severely handicapped train operations. Estimated cost, $1,800,000.
  Signal and train-control systems for unsignaled areas – Signal and train control facilities for a major part of the rapid transit system, which was urgently needed to improve the safety in operations. Estimated cost, $28,000,000.
  Lake Street elevation and extension – Elevation of the ground-level section of the Lake Street rapid transit route between Laramie Avenue, Chicago and Harlem Avenue, Forest Park, using a part of the elevated right-of-way of the Chicago and North Western Railway. Estimated cost, $4,000,000, to be shared as follows: State of Illinois, $1,000,000; Oak Park, $800,000; City of Chicago, $600,0
caption: Proposed (1958) Wells Street subway at Congress Street
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