Design Statement
Located between the north and southbound lanes of the Dan Ryan Expressway, the 95th Street Terminal Station reconnects southside communities to opportunities throughout Chicago, providing amenities that improve the transit experience for all riders. Scope included renovation and expansion of the North Terminal, construction of a new South Terminal, new bus bridges, and various street improvements. This design/build project demonstrates how a team of designers, constructors and a transit agency can deliver places of enduring quality that serve the public for the next generation. Phase I was completed in 2018 and Phase II in 2019.
The Station is a gateway to the City with it’s iconic “brow” projecting over the highway and north/south entries. It was conceived as a continuous ribbon that stretches south to north, tying the two terminals together, with the thinnest point at the new pedestrian bridge connecting across 95th Street.
Region / City / Neighborhood Connectivity
As a multi-modal terminal the station connects the CTA train and bus system with other systems, including Pace, Metra and Greyhound. It's reach includes not only the City of Chicago and surrounding metropolitan and suburban area, but the midwest region and the entire United States.
The Station influences its context beyond its primary use as transportation infrastructure to become “cultural infrastructure” with ambitions of serving as public sculpture that animates and enlivens at many scales: from the city scale as an iconic gateway; at the neighborhood scale with the long view from blocks away as a connector between the east and west; and at the pedestrian scale as an open and inviting neighborhood station.
The station’s primary sustainable attribute is in serving public mass transit and thereby reducing the carbon footprint of over 7 million annual commuters. With increased capacity and improved access for more riders, it serves to reduce vehicular traffic, congestion, pollution, and CO2 in the city core.
Art-in-Architecture
The architects collaborated with a prominent Chicago-based artist on the largest public artwork project in CTA history - a site-specific in-station catalyst DJ studio that fosters community engagement and provides training to neighborhood students. All day long the entire station is vibrant with these live studio performances broadcast throughout the Terminals.
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