- Credibility:
EDGEWATER — A former Toyota dealership will be demolished in Edgewater as part of the CTA’s efforts to overhaul the north branch of the Red Line.
Starting Wednesday, crews contracted by the CTA will begin demolishing the building at 5619 N. Broadway, a former car dealership and repair garage. The demolition will take place in stages over the next month and will help make room for a temporary Bryn Mawr station for the Red Line.
The demolition was originally scheduled to begin May 13.
The work will take place despite the city’s six-month moratorium on “implosion” demolitions following a wrecking gone wrong in Little Village, where a smokestack at a former coal plant fell and blanketed the neighborhood in dust and debris. Implosion demolitions generally involve explosives that topple a structure.
The Edgewater demolition will not be done implosion-style. Instead, it will come down in pieces, said Ald. Harry Osterman (48th). Crews will start this week on demolishing the north end of the structure, which is a single-story, bow truss building, Osterman said.
Aldermen don’t have say on demolitions in their wards, but Osterman said he has worked with the city and CTA to make sure the work will be contained.
“I’m very sensitive, given what happened with the Hilco [Little Village] demolition, to make sure we don’t have a repeat of that,” Osterman said. “My office will monitor it very closely.”
The city’s public health and buildings departments signed off on the work, Osterman said. A demolition permit was issued May 11, a spokesperson with the Department of Buildings said.
The demolition work could continue into late June, CTA officials said in a construction alert. The sidewalk on the east side of Broadway between Bryn Mawr and Hollywood avenues will be closed during the work.
Crews have been in the facility working on lead and asbestos abatement. City officials will be on hand to inspect the demolition, and a hose will be used to contain dust.
“City inspectors remain on call to monitor construction sites and will not hesitate to issue a stop work order if contractors are found in violation of city codes, for dust and otherwise,” Mimi Simon, spokeswoman for the Department of Buildings, said in a statement. “Residents are encouraged to call 311 should they have any concerns.”
The temporary Bryn Mawr Red Line station is being erected as part of the city’s $2 billion Red-Purple modernization project.
The CTA began work on the project last year, which includes replacing the stations at Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr. CTA is constructing temporary stations at Bryn Mawr and Argyle to accommodate commuters during the building of the new permanent stations.
Work on the temporary station at Bryn Mawr is slated to begin this summer.
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.
Already subscribe? Click here to support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.
