Yellow Line Service To Be Shut Down For At Least Several Days Due To Embankment Erosion
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The CTA Yellow Line between Skokie and the Rogers Park neighborhood will be out of service for a few days, after an embankment was washed out due to a construction accident, the CTA said.
CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase said the soil under the McCormick Boulevard viaduct – between Howard and Oakton streets – eroded and collapsed Sunday night, due to a construction project not controlled by the CTA.
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago was working on a disinfection project at the nearby O'Brien Water Reclamation Plant, when an "open cut retention system conduit was compromised," according to MWRD spokeswoman Allison Fore.
"The District is working with its contractor and CTA to resolve any issues as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience this incident has caused," Fore said.
The MWRD accident caused a washout of the ground under the Yellow Line tracks at the McCormick Boulevard viaduct, and the Yellow Line was shut down as a precaution.
"Soil erosion and what looks like a partial ground collapse has made the track unstable and unsafe," Chase said.
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Skokie village spokeswoman Ann Tennes said McCormick Boulevard also has been closed between Oakton and Howard, due to concerns about the structural integrity of the elevated CTA tracks above.
"Public safety is always paramount, so authorities have decided that it's best to err on the side of caution," she said.
The CTA set up shuttle buses to transport passengers between Skokie and the Howard station in Rogers Park, Chase said. Repairs to the damaged embankment could take several days, and Chase said the CTA was waiting to determine how long Yellow Line service would be suspended, while crews determine exactly what repairs will be needed.
Customers can also use the #97 Skokie bus route.
The CTA says it is working with the MWRD and sharing information on repairs to determine when service will be restored.
