Introducing #CTAConfessions

Curbed Chicago – On Friday, the north terminal of the CTA’s new 95th Street transit facility officially opened for business on Chicago’s Far South Side. The station’s two wings are connected by an elevated pedestrian bridge spanning 95th Street. The walkway—combined with new canopies above loading zones—gives the new transit hub all-weather functionality and improved accessibility while reducing conflicts between pedestrians and buses. Under construction since 2014, the 95th Street terminal revamp required 85,000 hours of work by a team of 1,200 to complete.

In addition to operational improvements, the new terminal will also feature public art from local artist Theaster Gates including a pair of tapestries stitched together from decommissioned fire hoses and a live radio DJ booth.  The 95th Street project was financed through a combination of local, state, and federal dollars. At $280 million, it is the most expensive station project in CTA history. That figure, however, may soon be eclipsed by an estimated $300 million 15th Street Red Line stop proposed next to the mixed-use megadevelopment known as The 78. While the new 95th Street station currently represents the end of the line, city officials hope to eventually extend the Red Line south to 130th Street. The CTA revealed a preliminary route for the proposed 5.3-mile extension early last year and identified possible locations for four additional stations. Work on that project could begin in 2022, provided the city secures an estimated $2.3 billion in funding.

This is how you stay elected. You round up $280,000,000 and put it into the Red Line 95th street stop because who needs education or public services. The city is much better off with all the public mental health facilities closed while we cram 120 kids into every CPS classroom. Fair trade off when you consider the live radio DJ booth that will be available to the scores of folks taking the Red Line downtown each and every day from 95th street. Sorry your kids have the worst public education system out of every 1st world country. On the bright side you now have an all weather CTA stop.

You know what would make the Red Line better? Decreasing the rampant violence that plagues it on a daily basis. Taking that thing south of 35th street is a legitimate gamble of personal safety. I got buddies from home that LOVE taking the 95th stop in as a sign of pride. Let me tell you something: these buddies are complete fucking morons. Google Red Line Crime and you’ll get 12 hits in the last week. It’s pure bananaland with how much bad shit is going on inside the actual train cars, and yet Rahm Emmanuel’s braintrust administration decided to rehab a platform. You really can’t make this stuff up without being called a crazy person.

Anyways, the point of this blog is to open up a channel for some good old fashioned User Generated Content. I know a lot of you take the CTA every single day, and I know most of you doing so often see some extremely weird shit like a homeless couple smoking crack during rush hour, or a couple of Aurora visitors doing some finger banging on their way back to Union Station after a Cubs game. Whatever. There’s weird shit everywhere on the CTA.

So here’s what you do. Every week just tag me @barstoolcarl or @redlineradio with whatever you witness that moves the needle. I’ll round up the best submissions each week in a #CTAConfessions. Weirdest submission each month gets a beef hand delivered from Eddie and the opportunity to watch a White Sox Game on White Sox Dave’s couch with Hawk Harrelson. Still waiting on Hawk to confirm participation but for now consider it a done deal and send me your Confessions.