CTA riders on the Green and Orange Lines will likely find their commuting plans disrupted for the rest of the work week due to the blaze that gutted the historic Wirt Dexter Building on South Wabash Avenue.
Service on the two lines between the Loop and the CTA’s Roosevelt Road station will not resume until it’s determined that the elevated tracks that run behind the building are safe, officials said Wednesday.
The exact number of commuters who are affected is not known, but about 40,000 rides a day are tallied on the south branch of the Green and Orange Lines combined, CTA spokeswoman Robyn Ziegler said.
The CTA encouraged customers to transfer free of charge at Roosevelt Road to Red Line trains in the subway.
The CTA also will operate shuttle buses during morning and evening rush hours on Thursday and Friday to substitute for Green and Orange Line service. The shuttles will run between the Roosevelt and the Library stops from 5 to 10 a.m. and again from 3 to 7 p.m.
As the evening rush hour approached Wednesday, Red Line platforms were packed with riders trying to figure out how to navigate around the closures. A sea of confused faces surrounded the CTA workers at the Roosevelt station who were called out to handle commuters’ questions.
The CTA will use its own engineering and operations personnel, along with the help of city Building and Fire Department officials, to gauge the safety of the elevated structure adjacent to the Wirt Dexter Building at 630 S. Wabash Ave., Ziegler said
The CTA is concerned about the possibility that what’s left of the Louis Sullivan-designed building might collapse, she said.
The effects of the fire’s intense heat on the elevated structure also is a concern, experts said.
The city towed about 120 vehicles that had been parked in lots and on streets near the fire. The vehicles were towed for their own protection and to allow firefighters better access to the building, officials said.
The cars were taken to a CTA bus turnaround area along 18th Street just west of Lake Shore Drive, said Kevin Smith, a spokesman for the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communication.
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Fire disrupts service on CTA lines
There will be limited service on the Green and Orange Lines to investigate the tracks for damage that may have been caused by Tuesday’s fire at 630 S. Wabash Ave.
CTA Green Line: Will operate on the outer track in a counterclockwise direction. No service between Roosevelt Road and the Loop
SOURCE: CTA
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