HNTB is providing architectural, structural, traction power, communications, train control, mechanical and environmental mitigation support services for a new transfer station. The Wilson Transfer Station Design project, with an estimated construction value of $100+ million, is part of the $1 billion Red Line rehabilitation program. The Red Line improvements will rebuild sections of deteriorated tracks to eliminate slow zones, replace or repair aging stations and install new power systems to improve performance.

Wilson Station is a major transfer station on the Red Line, with nearly 2 million passengers each year. One of the main street-level entrances to the station is the Gerber building – a contributing structure to Chicago’s Uptown Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. In the early 1900s, Frank Lloyd Wright was hired to design the station façade. In addition to the historic context of the station, one of the major challenges of this project will be to maintain three-track operations during construction.

Another key part of the project is the restoration of the station’s 1923 Gerber Building, a long, one-story, beaux arts-style building that once was the primary station entrance to the Red Line. Over the years, the building fell into disrepair despite its historic status, and the project will renovate it for commercial use.
The restoration project scope includes modernizing Wilson Station with new tracks, platforms and ADA-compliant accessibility. In addition, HNTB’s smart station design and use of high-performance materials, such as granite, concrete platforms, polycarbonate canopies and LED lights, will minimize life-cycle costs over the next 50 to 80 years.

Location: Chicago, IL

Client: Chicago Transit Authority