CHICAGO | The 78 Site

[Goose Island Guru]

Originally Posted by ardecila

^ Well, CTA could do these things with bus routes and I think it's very likely that they will... but how long will that take? I have to say it is frustrating that the transportation planning process for all of these new developments is occurring behind closed doors. I haven't seen any mention of bus route changes to serve Lincoln Yards or the 78. The city keeps hinting at a transitway along the North Branch, but has not launched a public process to plan and fund it. Big flashy projects like new L stops command all the attention and the public debate (if any), but CTA itself has seemingly done very little to respond to all this downtown-adjacent growth with the bus routes and planning tools they have at their disposal.

For all the growth in Fulton Market, all CTA has done is open the Morgan station (which was really a CDOT project anyway)... no supplemental bus routes to better cover the area, no infrastructure investments like bus lanes or prepaid stations to allow the Halsted and Madison lines to work more effectively.

Granted, CTA is working in a realm of limited resources,... finite numbers of buses/drivers and a finite budget with which to pay them. Without an increased budget, adding service one place means taking it away from somewhere else, unless they can work with electeds and the community to find supplemental funding. The best we can really hope for is zero-cost changes like re-routes or route swaps that can bring in more ridership (the recent changes to the California buses being a good example of this).

That's why I'm hopeful The 78 can at least get some bus service, there is literally a route called 24 Wentworth, changing its route as Wentworth is expanded northward seems like a no-brainer, but it means the South Loopers who live along Clark in Dearborn Park I and II, AMLI, etc will have to walk a little further to buses and trains on State... and the frequency of the 24 is a joke since it only exists as an ADA-accessible backup to the south Red Line. Re-routing the 62 Archer bus makes more sense, either instead of or in addition to the 24, since the frequency and hours of service are decent, and its State St portion is already served by the 29 State and the Red Line, so nobody would lose anything. And it would connect The 78 jobs to housing opportunities on the southwest side. If they can find enough resources to briefly extend one of the North Side buses down Wentworth as well, either the 36 Clark or 37 Sedgwick, that would really create a transit trunk on Wentworth with 3 bus routes, frequent service and, IMO, totally obviate the need for a Red Line station in the first phase of development.

Going to Hong Kong was an eye-opener, there are countless highrise estates there that are as big or bigger then The 78, that are served only by buses. Usually it is not just a feeder to subway stations but real decent bus routes that connect to destinations across the city. Pretending like The 78 NEEDS a rail station to function is just snobbery. But - it takes a real planning process and hard infrastructure to enable buses to do this job.

The availability of a bus does not change the perception that they're gross. You're not going to just get people to ride a bus because it's there.

[west-town-brad]

Originally Posted by Goose Island Guru

The availability of a bus does not change the perception that they're gross. You're not going to just get people to ride a bus because it's there.

I don't think people are that fragile.

the chicago ave bus connects the blue line with all the corp. jobs on the near north side.

every rush hour the buses are packed with people. going east in the morning and going west in the evening.

people ride the bus because it's there - and the only transit option.

[IrishIllini]

Originally Posted by Goose Island Guru

The availability of a bus does not change the perception that they're gross. You're not going to just get people to ride a bus because it's there.

I disagree. The bus is “scarier” because the route doesn’t have the visibility of a rail line, but once you’re familiar with your surroundings, the bus often gets your closer to where you need to be than the L does. They’re great for shorter trips.

If you make the bus route more visible and bring greater visibility to stops, people will use it.

[SIGSEGV]

From earlier today. I see a construction office and maybe some evidence of work on the right of way?

[i_am_hydrogen]

The Urban Frontier from Bomb the Suburbs by William Upski Wimsatt. This essay is about the same parcel of land as the 78. I read his book 20 something years ago when I was in college (UW-Madison) and it blew me away.

https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicag...ent?oid=878644

[Mr Downtown]

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

evidence of work on the right of way?

Since last spring, yes.

[Skyguy_7]

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

From earlier today. I see a construction office and maybe some evidence of work on the right of way?

FHP is doing the civil work at the new bridge.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Skyguy_7

FHP is doing the civil work at the new bridge.

I think the appearance is misleading... most of the work to date is in the underground utilities that will provide the backbone for future development. The pavement is probably the last thing that will be done.

Also, I'm surprised to hear about new bridges. I thought CDOT was going to cheap out and re-use the existing bridge under the St Charles Air Line and cross the Freeport Sub at grade... but this article makes it sound like a full grade separation is planned.
https://www.constructionequipmentgui...barriers/47150

Obviously having a full grade separation is key to making this a major traffic route, and helps with efforts at bus service as well... would hate to have traffic backing up here behind a freight train.

[jpIllInoIs]

Originally Posted by ardecila

I think the appearance is misleading... most of the work to date is in the underground utilities that will provide the backbone for future development. The pavement is probably the last thing that will be done.

Also, I'm surprised to hear about new bridges. I thought CDOT was going to cheap out and re-use the existing bridge under the St Charles Air Line and cross the Freeport Sub at grade... but this article makes it sound like a full grade separation is planned.
https://www.constructionequipmentgui...barriers/47150

Obviously having a full grade separation is key to making this a major traffic route, and helps with efforts at bus service as well... would hate to have traffic backing up here behind a freight train.

Weird that the best summary of this road project is in a deep state industry mag. CDOT and Related have no info. Nice link though thanks.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by jpIllInoIs

Weird that the best summary of this road project is in a deep state industry mag. CDOT and Related have no info. Nice link though thanks.

Pretty typical for Chicago honestly. CTA, CDOT, etc are terrible at communicating updates to the public on major projects, either construction or planning, especially when the press isn't asking for it. The bureaucrats who do these things have no sense of public relations, and the politicians are only interested in groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings, not what happens in between. It's honestly a little sad that FH Paschen is more interested in getting the word out about this project to the industry, than the city is to get the word out to the public.

The only reason we got any updates at all on Navy Pier Flyover is because the guys at Streetsblog keep pushing for information.

[SIGSEGV]

I ride express buses between the South Loop and UChicago that are chock-full of professionals. People will absolutely ride them...

[Chisouthside]

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

I ride express buses between the South Loop and UChicago that are chock-full of professionals. People will absolutely ride them...

This, I commuted to a job in hyde park for a couple of weeks and the express buses there from the roosevelt red line were usually packed.

[Goose Island Guru]

Well this is all anecdotal (even my statement). I know many professionals who would rather die than step foot on a bus.

In the end, I believe trains are more efficient and environmentally friendly, at least until buses go all electric. A commuter can travel a further distance in a shorter amount of time on a train and trains can hold more people. Obviously they can’t stop as frequently as buses can but you still have the “last mile” issue.

[jtown,man]

Yeah, I won't lie, I was more nervous taking the bus here in Chicago than I was the L. It was the whole 'pay when boarding' thing and the fact that the bus was stopped to pick ME up so everyone would be staring at me to see where I sat(lol, of course, that's not the case, but anxiety can be insane). Then, would my bus actually go where it was supposed to? How would it know when to stop!?

Yeah, all dumb problems to have in one's head. But when you take the L, its swipe your card way before you board, get on, wait for your stop, which is nicely mapped, and then you're there.

[SIGSEGV]

Originally Posted by jtown,man

Yeah, I won't lie, I was more nervous taking the bus here in Chicago than I was the L. It was the whole 'pay when boarding' thing and the fact that the bus was stopped to pick ME up so everyone would be staring at me to see where I sat(lol, of course, that's not the case, but anxiety can be insane). Then, would my bus actually go where it was supposed to? How would it know when to stop!?

Yeah, all dumb problems to have in one's head. But when you take the L, its swipe your card way before you board, get on, wait for your stop, which is nicely mapped, and then you're there.

Maybe the CTA should put a "how do I ride?" QR code at each stop. Honestly though, the CTA buses are much easier to ride than other cities... stops are announced and you can pay via contactless credit/bank card or even with your phone...

[jtown,man]

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

Maybe the CTA should put a "how do I ride?" QR code at each stop. Honestly though, the CTA buses are much easier to ride than other cities... stops are announced and you can pay via contactless credit/bank card or even with your phone...

Oh, the experience was exactly as explained on the website lol

It was super easy and simple. I was just being a human, irrational and all.

[sentinel]

Don't think this has been posted yet, but the site plan has been updated, perhaps coinciding with the release of the new renderings from last month (omg we're already in March ):

https://www.78chicago.com/sites/defa...20Download.pdf

[BuildThemTaller]

^ There appears to be a connection to Ping Tom Park in the PDF Sentinel posted. It's in the bottom right of the drawing.

Originally Posted by sentinel

Don't think this has been posted yet, but the site plan has been updated, perhaps coinciding with the release of the new renderings from last month (omg we're already in March ):

https://www.78chicago.com/sites/defa...20Download.pdf

[SIGSEGV]

^ That is way too much greenspace. Looks like a university campus, not a neighborhood.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

^ That is way too much greenspace. Looks like a university campus, not a neighborhood.

Well, it’s not really going to be much of a neighborhood. It’s essentially going to be a University-meet-corporate-world campus with a few apartments and a hotel or two thrown in.