Belt Railway awaits work to start on two CREATE grade separations in Chicago

By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor 

A couple of Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program projects involving the Belt Railway Co. of Chicago (BRC) are getting closer to the starting line. 

Final design and other pre-construction activities are progressing for grade separations at Archer and Columbus avenues along the railroad’s mainline in Chicago. BRC officials anticipate work to start on the CREATE project GS11 separation at Columbus Avenue in August and construction to begin on the CREATE project GS9 separation at Archer Avenue in late 2025. Both projects are estimated to take more than two years to complete. 

“We expect a ribbon-cutting event for GS11 in late July or mid-August,” said BRC Chief Engineer Tom Lyons in an email. “The first construction activities are usually utility relocation and drainage repairs/relocations.” 

Launched in 2003, CREATE involves 70 projects designed to separate freight and passenger trains at six key junctions, including the elimination of 25 grade crossings.  

The program is managed through a public-private partnership that includes Amtrak, the Association of American Railroads (AAR), BNSF Railway Co., BRC, the Chicago and Illinois departments of transportation, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, CN, Cook County, CSX, Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Co., Metra, Norfolk Southern Railway and Union Pacific Railroad. 

Project GS11 calls for eliminating a crossing on Columbus Avenue at Maplewood Avenue by building an underpass. Each day, about 11,500 vehicles and 32 freight trains pass through the busy crossing, which is designated a “911 critical crossing,” or a crucial pass-through point for emergency vehicles. 

The project involves lowering the roadway under a new rail bridge that will accommodate the existing tracks. Side paths will be added under the bridge for pedestrians and bicyclists. 

ICC Group Inc. won a $72.4 million bid to serve as the contractor. The Chicago DOT is finalizing construction plans with ICC Group, according to the AAR. 

Project GS9 calls for eliminating a crossing at Archer Avenue and Kenton Avenue by constructing an underpass. Each day, about 18,600 vehicles and 259 buses pass through the crossing, which also is designated a 911 critical crossing. 

The Belt Railway crossing at Archer Avenue and Kenton Avenue will be eliminated and a new underpass will be built via CREATE project GS9. Work is projected to start in late 2025. Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program

The roadway will be lowered under the track via a new rail bridge, keeping the track at the same elevation. In addition, the road will be rebuilt and widened with new dedicated bike lanes and sidewalks.  

A contractor has not yet been selected for GS9; bids will be solicited for the project later in 2025. 

Grade separations to be a big safety boost

The largest intermediate switching terminal railroad in the United States, the BRC manages more than 300 miles of switching tracks at its large Clearing Yard and 28 miles of mainline, and interchanges with every freight railroad that operates in and around Chicago. 

The grade separations will improve safety by eliminating interference between freight and passenger-rail trains, motorists and pedestrians, said Lyons.  

“The elimination of the at-grade crossings allows for trains to more safely traverse through urban environments,” he said. “In addition, new turnouts and track geometry will simplify maintenance and enhance capacity and network fluidity at both locations.”  

Moreover, creating new landscaping and sidewalks at the locations will benefit the local areas, which include Archer Heights and Garfield Ridge. 

The city of Chicago is managing both grade separation projects. When work starts, BRC employees will close the crossings and install temporary tracks to reroute trains and facilitate construction. 

“There’s a lot more going into the Archer Avenue project due to the number of switches and track geometry,” said Lyons. 

Meanwhile, another grade separation involving the BRC — located at a crossing on 65th Street and Harlem Avenue in Bedford Park — remains in the early design stages. 

Known as GS1, the CREATE project calls for creating an overpass for vehicles using 65th Street, extending the Harlem Avenue ridge and eliminating a crossing. Additional traffic safety improvements also be made at the nearby intersection of 63rd Street and Harlem Avenue, where the same BRC tracks cross 63rd Street. 

About 9,850 vehicles, 185 buses and 33 freight trains pass through the 65th Street crossing daily. An additional 17,500 vehicles pass through the adjacent intersection on Harlem Avenue at 63rd Street. 

It might take up to five years before construction starts on GS1, Lyons estimates. 

Currently among the CREATE program’s 70 projects, 35 are completed, six are under construction, 15 are in various stages of design or environmental analyses and 14 are in more preliminary phases, according to the AAR.