Mayor Brandon Johnson joined 27th Ward Councilman Walter Burnett, 20th Ward Councilman Dorval R. Carter, Jr., Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) President Tom Carney, Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) Commissioner, and Near West Side stakeholders to announce the reopening of the new CTA Damen Green Line station at Lake Street and Damen Avenue. The state-of-the-art station addresses a long-standing need for improved transportation options on the Near West Side that will benefit local residents, support local growth and job creation in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor, and accommodate large crowds attending events at the nearby United Center. The new Damen Green Line station closes a 1.5-mile service gap between the Ashland and California stations, restoring rail service to the neighborhood for the first time since the original station at this location closed in 1948. The station serves the Kinzie Industrial Corridor, United Center, Malcolm X College, and surrounding residential areas on the growing Near West Side. These include the Chicago Housing Authority’s Westhaven Park IID, a $50 million transit-oriented development (eTOD) project that will add 96 mixed-income apartments to the community. The $80 million TIF-funded project was managed by CDOT in close cooperation with the CTA, and was developed by FH Paschen.

Photo credit: City of Chicago