Bridges at Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) train stations over the tracks are becoming extinct. When the Belmont Brown/Red/Purple line station was rebuilt for the Brown Line Capacity Expansion project, the bridge at the south end was removed.
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I took this photo in 2006 from the Belmont footbridge, not long before it was closed to passengers and then demolished.
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Adams and Wabash, Brown/Pink/Green/Orange/Purple lines. Photo by Clark Maxwell.
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Madison and Wabash, Brown/Pink/Green/Orange/Purple lines. Photo by Clark Maxwell.
View four more photos taken from CTA footbridges.
Many of the stations on the Green Line have footbridges, especially on the Lake Street Elevated. These are all new stations, so I don’t think they’re going anywhere, and there isn’t enough clearance for a mezzanine below the tracks but above the street. Even the new Morgan stop will have a pretty cool bridge.
Thank you for pointing that out. Now that I think about it, Ashland (Green/Pink) and California (Green) have footbridges. I’ve removed the statement saying that the remaining footbridges are in the Loop.
The Morgan (Green/Pink) station has a footbridge also, but it’s inclusion does not seem well-reasoned. Few people will need to make a transfer here, and the stations on both sides of Morgan have free transfers.
Yes, there’s a beautiful view of downtown from the bridge over the Ashland/Lake station.
Those footbridges offer some pretty cool views. I think they’re rather underappreciated. Thanks for sharing these pictures.
I collected some more photos into a small gallery.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesbondsv/galleries/72157627784890034/with/4811010122/