LINCOLN SQUARE — The public transit hub in the heart of Lincoln Square is in line for an infusion of city dollars to help fund an overhaul.
The City Council approved $8 million in tax increment financing dollars Wednesday to support the $30 million upgrade of the Western Avenue Brown Line station.
Planned renovations include improvements to the station’s lighting, signs and drainage, and replacing its elevators, which are frequently out of service, according to city documents. The station’s bus turnaround, walkway entrances, staircases, station house exterior, plaza, mezzanine and platforms will also be renovated, according to planning documents.
In addition to the funds from the Western Avenue North TIF, the rest of the project’s funding will come from a combination of federal and state sources, according to city records.
The station upgrades are part of the Lincoln Square master plan to make the area more pedestrian-friendly, which includes the Western Brown Line stop makeover.
There’s no timeline for construction to begin, Ald. Matt Martin (47th) said.
The Brown Line upgrades are among three major projects coming to the same Lincoln Square intersection.
A proposed six-story affordable housing building in a city-owned lot at 4715 N. Western Ave that stalled for months is moving forward after months of negotiations between the developer and local leaders over public parking.
Leland Avenue near Western will also be getting an update to its traffic pattern to improve access and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians in the Leland Avenue Greenway. That project will add pedestrian median islands, raised crosswalks, contraflow bike lanes and bike-friendly speed humps along Leland Avenue in Lincoln Square between the North Shore Channel, near Rockwell Street on the west, and Clark Street on the east.
Mina Bloom contributed to this report.
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